The 
•American  Flower  Garden 


By 

NELTJE    BLANCHANZ)**^' 

0" 

Planting  Lists  by  LEONARD  BARRON 


ILLUSTRATED 

WITH     NINETY     TWO     FULL-PAGE 
PHOTOGRAPHS 


New  York 

Doubleday,  Page  &  Company 
1909 


ALL  RIGHTS  RESERVED,   INCLUDING  THAT  OF  TRANSLATION 
INTO   FOREIGN  LANGUAGES,  INCLUDING  THE  SCANDINAVIAN 

COPYRIGHT,    1909,   BY  DOUBLEDAY,  PAGE   &  COMPANY 
THIS  EDITION  PUBLISHED  OCTOBER,  1909 


TO   MY   HUSBAND 

BUT    FOR   WHOM 

NONE    OF    MY    BOOKS    WOULD    EVER 
HAVE    BEEN    PUBLISHED 


250778 


"  'What  is  a  garden?9  It  is  man's  report  of  earth  at  her  best.  It  is  earth 
emancipated  jrom  the  commonplace.  It  is  man's  love  of  loveliness  carried  to 
excess  —  man's  craving  for  the  ideal  grown  to  a  fine  lunacy.  It  is  piquant  won- 
derment; culminated  beauty  that,  for  all  its  combination  of  telling  and  select  items, 
can  still  contrive  to  look  natural,  debonair,  native  to  its  place." 

— JOHN  D.  SEDDING. 


SUBTLE     ART    OF    THE    GARDENER,    WHICH 
ALMOST   DEFIES    DETECTION,    INTO   A    NATURALISTIC   ROCK    GARDEN 


CONTENTS 

•I 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.     THE  PARTNERSHIP  BETWEEN  NATURE  AND  ART    .        .  i 

II.     SITUATION  AND  DESIGN 13 

"III.     THE  FORMAL  GARDEN 29 

IV.     THE  OLD-FASHIONED  GARDEN 43 

*V.     THE  NATURALISTIC  GARDEN 67 

VI.     THE  WILD  GARDEN 79 

VII.     THE  ROCK  GARDEN 97 

VIII.     THE  WATER  GARDEN in 

IX.     TREES 131 

X.     SHRUBS .        -163 

XI.     PERENNIALS  FOR  A  THOUGHT-OUT  GARDEN     .        .        -193 

XII.     ANNUALS 231 

XIII.  BULBS,  TUBEROUS  PLANTS  AND  ORNAMENTAL  GRASSES     .  255 

XIV.  THE   ROSE   GARDEN 289 

XV.     VINES 319 

XVI.     GARDEN  FURNITURE 337 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

COLOUR  PLATES 

AN  ABANDONED  STONE  QUARRY,  TRANSFORMED  BY  THE  SUBTLE 

ART  OF  THE  GARDENER  (A.  Radclyffe  Dugmore).        Frontispiece 

FACING  PAGE 

COREOPSIS  AND  LARKSPUR  ALONG  A  GRASSY  PATH  (A.  Radclyffe 

Dugmore) 198 

THIS  SECTION  OF  AN  OLD  AND  OVER-LARGE  VEGETABLE  GARDEN 
WAS  TRANSFORMED  INTO  A  HOME  FOR  HARDY  ROSES  (A.  Rad- 
clyffe Dugmore)  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  '.  .  298 

A  SHELTERED  PERGOLA  UNITING  HOUSE  AND  GARDEN  (A.  Rad- 
clyffe Dugmore)  .......  .  .  348 

HALF  TONE  ENGRAVINGS 

A  HAPPY  COMBINATION  OF  NATURE  AND  ART  (Henry  Troth)      .        4 

To  LENGTHEN  DISTANCE  AND  ADD  TO  THE  APPARENT  SIZE  OF 

ONE'S  GROUNDS  (Henry  Troth)     .        .     '  .  :     .        .        .         5 

FOR  UNITING  A  BOUNDARY  BELT  OF  TREES  TO  A  LAWN  (Henry 

Troth) 6 

No  SINGLE  FEATURE  so  SUCCESSFULLY  UNITES  A  HOUSE  TO  THE 
SURROUNDING  LANDSCAPE  AS  A  FINE  OLD  TREE  (Herbert 
Angell)  .  ..7 

AN  EMBELLISHED  BUT  NATURALLY  BEAUTIFUL  PIECE  OF  LAND 

(J.  Horace  McFarland) IO 

ix 


X 


The  American  Flower  Garden 


FACING  PAGE 

THAT  IT  MAY  GIVE  THE  MOST  PLEASURE  TO  BUSY  PEOPLE,  THE 
GARDEN  SHOULD  BE  CONVENIENTLY  NEAR  THE  HOME 
(Russell  Doubleday)  ...  " 

PRIVACY,  SHADES  AND  A  DISTANT  PROSPECT  WITHIN  A  RING  OF 

FLOWERS  (J.  Horace  McFarland  Company)    .  ..      18 

"SOME  FLOTSAM  AND  JETSAM  OF  BLOOM,  LIKE  THE  SAND-LOVING 

PORTULACA  AND  SEA  PlNKS,  EXTEND  ALMOST  TO  THE  WAVES "          IQ 

A  GARDEN  OVERLOOKED  FROM  AN  ENTRANCE  DRIVE  (E.  E.  Soder- 

holtz)      ......  .22 

A  HARDY  GARDEN  BORDERING  A  LAWN  (J.  Horace  McFarland 

Company)        .  .         .  •         •         •        >       23 

FOR  A  HOME  OCCUPIED  IN  SUMMER  ONLY  (Nathan  R.  Graves)  .  26 
RESTORED  GARDEN  IN  THE  HOUSE  OF  THE  VETTII,  POMPEII  .  27 

LANDING  PLACE  FOR  PLEASURE  BOATS  ON  THE  LAKE  IN  A  RENAIS- 
SANCE GARDEN,  ROME  .  . 34 

THE  POOL,  FALCONIERI,  REFLECTING  CYPRESSES  FIVE  CENTURIES 

OLD  ...  .      35 

A  GARDEN  ARRANGED  WITH  FLOWER-FILLED  PARTERRES,  AFTER 

THE  ITALIAN  METHOD  (Henry  Troth)     ....        *i   36 

ONE  OF  THE  BEST  MODERN  AMERICAN  FORMAL  GARDENS  (J.  Hor- 
ace McFarland  Company)  .......  37 

A  CHARMING  SMALL  GARDEN  INEXPENSIVE  TO  PLANT  AND  TO 

MAINTAIN  (Henry  Troth) 42 

THE  GARDEN,  MOUNT  VERNON,  SHOWING  FRENCH  INFLUENCE, 

PROBABLY  LE  NOTRE'S  (Leet  Brothers) 43 

BOXWOOD  HEDGES  OVER  A  CENTURY  OLD  (Henry  Troth)  .  .  48 
A  TANGLE  OF  BEAUTY  AND  LUXURIANCE  (Henry  Troth)  .  .  49 
AN  UNPRETENTIOUS,  HOME-LIKE  LITTLE  GARDEN  (Henry  Troth)  52 


Illustrations  xi 

FACING  PAGE 

FRAXINELLA,  THE  FRAGRANT-LEAVED  AND  RESINOUS  GAS  PLANT, 

BELOVED  BY  OUR  GRANDMOTHERS  (Dr.  R.  L.  Dickinson)       53 

THE  SPIRIT  OF  THE  COLONIAL  HOME  AND  GARDEN  (Nathan  R. 

Graves) 62 

POET'S  NARCISSUS  NATURALISED  ALONG  AN  OPEN  WOODLAND 

WALK  (J.   Horace  McFarland) 63 

STAR-LIKE  NARCISSI  IN  THE  WILD  GRASS  (A.  Radclyffe  Dug- 
more)  70 

SECTION  OF  THE  SAME  BIT  OF  NATURALISTIC  PLANTING  SHOWN  IN 

THE  PRECEDING  PICTURE  (A.  Radclyffe  Dugmore)       .         .       71 

TALL,  LATE  GARDEN  TULIPS  (Gesneriand)  NATURALISED  IN  A 
GRASSY  BORDER  IN  FRONT  OF  SHRUBBERY  (J.  Horace 
McFarland) .  .  -J  72 

TAWNY  ORANGE   DAY  LILIES   NATURALISED   ALONG   A   DRIVE 

(J.  Horace  McFarland) r'\~  ' !'.'      73 

PERMANENT  HARDY  LILIES  AND  SHIRLEY  POPPIES  (R.  B.  Whyte)       76 

DOUBLE  ENGLISH  DAISIES  DISCARDED  FROM  FORMAL  FLOWER 
BEDS  MAY  BE  NATURALISED  ON  THE  SUNNY  BANK  OF  A  POND 
(J.  Horace  McFarland) 77 

OUR  NATIVE  BLOODROOT  DELIGHTS  IN  HAVING  ITS  ROOTS  IN  A 

COOL,  ROCKY  CREVICE  (J.  Horace  McFarland)     ...      82 

SHEETS  OF  BLUE  FORGET-ME-NOTS  SPREAD  OVER  THE  BANKS  OF  A 

WILD  GARDEN  (J.  Horace  McFarland) 83 

WAXY  WHITE   INDIAN   PIPES   AND   CREEPING   DALIBARDA   (J. 

Horace  McFarland) 86 

OUR  NATIVE  SHOWY  LADY'S  SLIPPER  IN  MOIST  ALLUVIAL  SOIL 

(Willis  H.  Sargent) 87 


xii  The  American  Flower  Garden 

FACING  PAGE 

A  GRASSY  PATH  ON  EITHER  SIDE  OF  WHICH  COLONIES  OF  WILD 

FLOWERS  BLOOM  (T.  E.  Mart)      .  •       9° 

FERNS  AND  WOOD  ASTERS  IN  A  SHADY  PLACE  (J.  Horace  McFar- 

land) •       91 

A  SUGGESTIVE  ENTRANCE  TO  A  ROCK  GARDEN  (Henry  Troth)     .     102 
A  CARPET  OF  CREEPING  PHLOX  (J.  Horace  McFarland)     :       .     103 

YELLOW,  ORANGE,  AND  WHITE  PERENNIAL  ICELAND  POPPIES  (J. 

Horace  McFarland)        .         .        .         .      "'*      V        .         .     106 

ROCK  GARDEN  BESIDE  A  BROOK  IN  EARLY  SPRING  (J.  Horace 

McFarland)    ....         .        .         .  -.     107 

"WATER  IN  A  LANDSCAPE  Is  AS  A  MIRROR  TO  A  ROOM  —  THE  FEA- 
TURE THAT  DOUBLES  AND  ENHANCES  ALL  ITS  CHARMS" 
(T.  E.  Marr)  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  v  114 

A  BROOK  MAY  BE  INDUCED  BY  A  DAM  TO  OVERFLOW  A  BIT  OF 
LOW-LYING  MEADOW  AND  BECOME  THE  PRINCIPAL  FACTOR  IN 
A  WATER  GARDEN  (Henry  Troth)  »  .  .o  .  .. .  .  115 

WHAT  WATER  GARDEN  WAS  EVER  COMPLETE  WITHOUT  ITS 
GOLDEN-HEARTED,  PASTEL-TINTED  WATER-LILIES  ?  (C.  J. 
Hibbard)  .  , 118 

FLOATING  WATER-LILIES  AND  INDIAN  LOTUSES  (W.  H.  Hill)        .     119 

WHAT  WOULD  ONE  NOT  GIVE  TO  POSSESS  SUCH  AN  OAK  —  THE 
VERY  EMBODIMENT  OF  STRENGTH  AND  NOBILITY?  (John  T. 
Withers) 134 

STRONG   MASS   PLANTING   OF   TREES   AND    SHRUBS   ALONG   AN 

ENTRANCE  DRIVE  (O.  C.  Simonds) 135 

AN  AVENUE  OF  WHITE  PINES  (Partridge) 138 

GARDEN  ENTRANCE  THROUGH  A  DENSE  HEDGE  OF  ARBORVITAE 

(Thuya  Occidentalis)   (T.  E.  Marr) 139 


Illustrations  xiii 

FACING  PAGE 

HORNBEAM  TREES  FORMING  A  PLEACHED  ARBOUR      .        .        .     142 

A  TREE  PEONY  WHICH  BLOOMS  EARLIER  THAN  ITS  HERBACEOUS 

RELATIVES  (J.  Horace  McFarland) 143 

LONGFELLOW'S   HOME   FRAMED    BY  WELL-BALANCED   PLANTING 

(W.  H.  Halliday) 146 

THE  FRAGRANT  NATIVE  MAGNOLIA  OF  THE  SWAMPS  AND  WET, 

OPEN  WOODS   (Henry  Troth) 147 

"SURE,  YE  CAN'T  SEE  THE  TREE  FUR  THE  FLOWERS  ON  IT" 

(T.   E.   Marr) 166 

WHAT  SHOULD  WE  Do  WITHOUT  SHRUBS  ?  (T.  E.  Marr)  .  .  167 
A  FRINGE  OF  GRACEFUL  DEUTZIAS  (Gracilis)  .  .  .  .176 
THE  BRIDAL  WREATH  (C.  J.  Crandall  &  Company)  .  .  .  177 

THE  RHODODENDRON  Is  OUR  BEST  EVERGREEN  SHRUB  (J.  Hor- 
ace McFarland) 204 

A  HAPPY  COLONY  OF  THE  CHRISTMAS  ROSE  (Helleborus  niger) 

(Nathan  R.  Graves) 205 

LUPINES  ARE  FLOWERS  OF  THE  SWEET-PEA  TYPE  ARRANGED  IN 
VERY  TALL,  VERTICAL  CLUSTERS  (J.  Horace  McFarland 
Company)  .........  i  210 

WHITE  PHLOX,  SHELL  PINK  SINGLE  HOLLYHOCKS  AND  BEE  LARK- 
SPUR (Herbert  Angell)  211 

BOLTONIA  —  ONE   OF  THE   BEST  OF  THE    ASTER-LIKE    PLANTS 

(J.  Horace  McFarland  Company)    ......     22O 

A  PERENNIAL  BORDER  (Henry  Troth) 221 

HOLLYHOCKS  ARE  ESPECIALLY  EFFECTIVE  IN  THE  FORMAL  GARDEN 

(J.    Horace   McFarland) 236 

ASTER  BORDER  AROUND  AN  OAK  (J.  Horace  McFarland)     .        .    237 


XIV 


The  American  Flower  Garden 


FACING  PAGE 

SINGLE  WHITE  PETUNIAS  IN  THE  FOREGROUND  OF  SHRUBBERY 

(Nathan  R.  Graves)  .  •  244 

THE  TOBACCO  PLANT,  WHICH  LOOKS  LIKE  A  FADED  BALL-ROOM 
BEAUTY  BY  DAY,  SHOULD  BE  VIEWED  FROM  A  LITTLE  DIS- 
TANCE (Nathan  R.  Graves)  •  •  245 

CHEERFUL  YELLOW  CROCUSES  GLITTERING  ON  A  LAWN  IN  EARLY 

SPRING  (Nathan  R.  Graves) Y        .260 

EMPEROR  DAFFODILS  ALONG  AN  ENTRANCE  DRIVE  (A.  Radclyffe 

Dugmore) .         .     261 

ONE  OF  THE  LOVELIEST  AND  EASIEST  WAYS  TO  BEAUTIFY  A  HALF- 
SHADY  KNOLL  OR  A  BIT  OF  OPEN  WOODLAND  Is  TO  PLANT 
THE  STAR-OF-BETHLEHEM  (Henry  Troth)  .  .  .  :'••<•  268 

DOUBLE  BORDER  OF  GERMAN  IRISES  ALONG  A  GRASSY  PATH 

(T.   E.    Marr)         .         .         .         .         .         .        ,         ,   .      ,    269 

THE  GUINEA  HEN  FLOWER  (Nathan  R.  Graves)    ....     276 

TALL  WHITE  LILIES  (L.  candidum)  GROWN  IN  A  CIRCLE  OF  HARDY 

FLOWERS    (Claude    Miller)    .      ;.      ;.  y.  /      .      •   .  '      ..  ";<  ' '/    277 

A  LONG  ISLAND  GARDEN  WHERE  ROSES  ARE  GATHERED  EVERY 
DAY  FROM  MAY  UNTIL  THANKSGIVING  WITH  A  TIDAL  WAVE 
OF  BLOOM  IN  JUNE  (Nathan  R.  Graves)  .  .  .  294 

MARIE  VAN  HOUTTE  — A  TOO  TENDER  TEA  ROSE  FOR  SAFE  CUL- 
TIVATION IN  NORTHERN  GARDENS  (O.  V.  Lange)  .  .  .295 

ROSES  FOR  SHRUBBERY  EFFECTS  (J.  Horace  McFarland  Company)     308 

PERGOLAS  ARE  INDEBTED  TO  THE  HARDY,  CLEAN,  VIGOROUS 
RAMBLER  ROSES  FOR  MUCH  OF  THEIR  CHARM  (Henry 

Troth)    •  309 

WISTARIA  —  THE  VINE  OF  MANY  PURPOSES  (T.  E.  Marr)    .        .    322 
HONEYSUCKLE    VINES   LIGHTLY  TWINED    ABOUT  THE    PILLARS     323 


Illustrations  xv 

FACING    PAGE 

THE  VINE-CLAD  FRONT  WALL  OF  AN  OLD  STONE  HOUSE  (Henry 

Troth) 326 

WHY  SHOULD  THE  BACK-STOPS  OF  TENNIS  COURTS  USUALLY  BE 

BARE  AND  UNSIGHTLY  ?  ........    327 

ROSTRUM  OF  THE  AMPHITHEATRE,  ARLINGTON     ....    334 

ONE  OF  THE  ADVANTAGES  IN  HAVING  A  FOUNTAIN  NEAR  THE 

HOUSE  (Floyd  E.  Baker) 335 

THE  MARBLE  TABLE,  ON  WHICH  THE  SUN-DIAL  RESTS,  Is  A  COPY 

OF  ONE  UNEARTHED  AT  POMPEII  (Gustav  Lorey)    .         .         .     340 

ENTRANCE  TO  A  FORMAL  GARDEN  ENLIVENED  BY  A  DOUBLE  Row  OF 

HYDRANGEAS  (T.  E.  Marr)  ....     '.';'.'        .    341 

RUSTIC  FURNITURE  THAT  MAY  BE  LEFT  OUT  IN  ALL  WEATHERS 

(Rudolf  Eickemeyer,  Jr.)       ....        >         .         *     342 

THE  FORMALITY  OF  ARCHITECTURE  HERE  DEMANDS  EXTREME 
FORMALITY  IN  THE  TREATMENT  OF  THE  GROUNDS  IMMEDI- 
ATELY ADJOINING  IT  (Floyd  E.  Baker)  .  .  ,  ,  .  •  343 

AN  OUT-OF-DOOR  LIVING-ROOM  (Henry  Troth)    .         .        .        /    344 
FOUNTAIN  OF  BRONZE  AND  MARBLE  DESIGNED  BY  ELIHU  VEDDER    345 


THE  PARTNERSHIP  BETWEEN 
NATURE  AND  ART 


"Laying    out  grounds   may   be   considered  a   liberal  art,  in   some    sort 
like  poetry  and  painting."— WORDSWORTH. 


THE  AMERICAN  FLOWER  GARDEN 

CHAPTER   I 

THE    PARTNERSHIP    BETWEEN    NATURE    AND   ART 

WITH    praiseworthy   zeal    men   devote    their    lives   to 
depicting  nature  with  paint  on  canvas;  other  men 
as  patiently  toil  to  reproduce  her  beauty  of  form  in 
bronze  or  chiselled  marble;  and,  if  they  possess  the  vision  of  genius, 
all  the  world  concedes  both  to  be  artists,  however  artificial  the  media 
for  expressing  their  ideals,  however  lifeless  their  finished  productions. 
But  what  of  the  man  who  no  less  faithfully  devotes  his  days 
and  nights  to  the  study  of  nature  and  collaborates  with  her  in  the 
production  of  living  pictures  ?     The  landscape  gardener,  by  unit- 
ing his  imagination,  artistic  impulse  and  will  to  nature  herself, 
utilising  natural  media  for  the  expression  of  his  artistic  feeling, 
would  seem  to  have  gone  a  step  beyond  either  the  painter  or  the 
sculptor,  yet  why  is  the  term  artist  so  rarely,  so  grudgingly  applied 
to  him  ?     Is  it  not  that,  in  the  perfection  of  his  art,  he  well-nigh 
obliterates  the  trace  of  it?     For 

"  This  is  an  art 

Which  doth  mend  nature,  change  it  rather,  but 
The  art  itself  is  nature." 

Even  Shakespeare,  with  the  majority,  forgets  to  give  the  gar- 
dener his  due,  ascribing  all  praise  to  his  silent  partner. 

In  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art,  New  York,  are  paintings 
and  statuary  by  artists  whose  names  are  household  words  in  all 
civilised  lands.  Surrounding  the  museum  is  a  great  pleasure 

3 


4  The  American  Flower  Garden 

ground  of  exceeding  beauty  where  millions  of  people  find  recreation 
and  delight  without  even  having  heard  the  name  of  Frederick  Law 
Olmsted.  Few  indeed  suspect  that  they  are  indebted  to  his 
imagination  and  trained  artistic  sense  for  Central  Park.  By 
entering  into  a  working  partnership  with  nature  he  was  enabled  to 
transform  a  tract  of  unlovely  land,  interspersed  with  swamps, 
barren  rocks  and  rubbish  heaps,  the  last  resort  of  squatters  and 
goats,  into  scenes  of  non-natural  but  wholly  naturalistic  beauty; 
and  the  belief  of  the  enraptured  multitude  that  nature  created 
them  so,  should  be  rightly  interpreted  as  the  triumph  of  Olmsted's 
creative  art.  Surely,  the  man  who  has  wrought  out  on  a  vast  scale 
so  clear  an  artistic  ideal  with  living  pigments  should  be  as  fully 
entitled  to  recognition  in  the  ranks  of  artists  as  the  painter  of  a 
landscape  on  canvas  that  hangs  within  the  museum  walls.  There 
is  a  small  but  increasing  number  of  critics  who  count  Olmsted 
the  greatest  artist  America  has  yet  produced. 

Who  remembers  that  Raphael,  Giulio  Romano  and  Michel- 
angelo, among  other  great  masters  of  the  Renaissance,  in  the 
exuberance  of  their  artistic  genius,  lavished  it  without  stint  upon 
the  gardens  of  Rome  and  northern  Italy?  Not  content  with 
designing  palaces  and  churches  and  decorating  them  with  car- 
vings, paintings,  frescoes  and  statuary  within  and  without,  not 
a  few  great  Italian  artists  planned  and  embellished  gardens  which, 
after  centuries,  still  remain  masterpieces.  But  as  gardeners  these 
artists  are  well-nigh  forgotten. 

Like  all  creative  workers,  the  gardener  of  the  first  rank  must 
be  endowed  with  a  great  imagination  that  can  see  clearly  the  ideal, 
which  at  first  exists  only  in  his  brain.  In  planning  the  modest 
home  grounds,  as  well  as  a  vast  estate  or  public  park,  he  must 
peer  far  into  the  future,  anticipate  many  years  of  toil  and  growth, 


sis 


Q  w  5 

§§§ 

*  s  * 

O   §   W 

»   g   H 

3    ~ 


.,i- 


-    ^    ~ 


Z  w  < 

£  s:  « 

Q  > 

;..s 


2  o 

H    D 


Q 

Z  5  a 

<;  ^  w 

ass 

I  i 

S  "• 

§«§ 


2  a  « 

IBS 


<  w 


TO  LENGTHEN  DISTANCE  AND  ADD  TO  THE  APPARENT  SIZE  OF  ONfi's  GROUND  WITH- 
OUT INCREASING  TAXES,  A  VISTA  THROUGH  TREES  OR  VINE-ENCIRCLED  COLUMNS  IS  THE 
LANDSCAPE  GARDENER'S  EXPEDIENT 


The  Partnership  between  Nature  and  Art          5 

and,  with  the  inner  eye  alone,  see  the  finished  picture  which 
may  be  actually  completed  by  his  silent  partner  long  after 
he  himself  has  turned  to  dust.  Art  is  long  and  life  is  short 
indeed,  too  short,  perhaps,  for  the  realisation  of  even  the  simplest 
of  his  ideals.  He  rarely  lives  to  enjoy  the  mature  majesty  of  the 
oak  he  has  planted;  yet,  from  its  acorn  babyhood  onward,  through 
every  stage  of  its  growth,  he  sees  clearly  in  his  mind's  eye  its 
ultimate  aspect. 

Nature  waited  patiently  through  the  ages  for  a  partner  like 
Luther  Burbank  to  select,  hybridise  and  bring  to  perfection  her 
fruits  and  flowers.  Without  the  help  of  the  trained  scientist  her 
own  latent  possibilities  would  never  have  been  realised.  "Nature," 
said  Aristotle,  "has  the  will  but  not  the  power  to  realise  perfection." 
That  ideal  is  left  for  man  to  realise  only  by  working  in  partnership 
with  her,  in  harmony  with  her  eternal  laws.  At  last  we  begin  to 
understand  the  paradox:  she  is  commanded  only  by  obeying  her. 
Where  nature  and  the  scientific  horticulturist  leave  off,  the  artistic 
imagination  of  the  gardener  takes  up  their  work  and  composes 
pictures  that  are  an  emphasised  revelation  of  natural  beauty 
to  eyes  that  have  not  the  gift  of  the  seer;  living  pictures  of 
nature  in  perfecto  which,  but  for  his  art,  would  never  have 
found  expression. 

But  unbridled  imagination,  without  a  true  sense  of  propor- 
tion to  hold  it  in  check,  might  easily  run  away  with  his  greatest 
opportunity.  In  his  student  days  especially,  and  indeed  through- 
out his  life,  he  cannot  study  nature  too  closely;  yet  it  may  be  that 
he  will  never  find  a  single  scene,  however  lovely  in  itself,  that  could 
be  copied  exactly  and  fit  in  with  any  of  his  plans.  Detached 
from  its  large  environment  its  beauty  might  be  lost,  its  proportion 
destroyed  by  other  surroundings;  or  the  cost  of  reproducing  it 


6  The  American  Flower  Garden 

might  be  prohibitive,  even  if  it  were  artistically  possible.  The 
gardener  has  first  to  familiarise  himself  with  nature's  "excellences," 
which  she  has  scattered  broadcast,  and  not  less  with  the  excellences 
of  his  art;  to  find  his  inspiration  in  them  and  then  select  from  his 
storehouse  of  knowledge,  eliminate,  adapt,  adjust,  harmonise,  and 
recreate,  not  only  to  the  scale  of  his  design,  but  to  the  measure  of 
his  own  personal  ideals,  before  he  tries  to  produce  either  a  large 
park-like,  panoramic  landscape  or  a  little  garden.  His  task  is 
to  create  beautiful  pictures,  not  to  copy  them.  True  art  is  never 
an  imitation  of  nature,  notwithstanding  a  popular  belief  to  the 
contrary.  Many  landscape  gardeners,  headed  by  "Capability" 
Brown,  have  failed  as  artists  because  they  could  not  perceive  this 
fact.  There  is  a  vast  difference  between  truth  to  nature  and  a 
servile  copying  of  her. 

The  temptation  to  attempt  too  much  is  ever  with  the  artist 
partner.  Nature  herself  is  so  prodigal  that  a  rich  imagination, 
teeming  with  ideas,  finds  it  difficult  to  reject  her  alluring  example. 
Only  a  cultivated  sense  of  proportion  can  save  one  from  the  com- 
mon error  of  sacrificing  the  simplicity,  unity  and  strength  of  the 
design  as  a  whole  to  the  embellishment  of  unrelated  parts.  Which 
is  to  say  that  no  garden,  no  matter  how  charming  in  detail,  is 
really  good  that  is  not  good  as  a  whole. 

Especially  are  amateurs  prone  to  set  out  only  their  pet  plants 
without  reference  to  the  general  effect,  to  select  haphazard  from 
the  enticing  catalogues  such  plants  as  are  most  cleverly  described 
or  illustrated,  without  reference  to  a  well  thought-out  garden  design. 
One  part  of  the  home  grounds,  having  no  relation  whatever  to 
another  part,  the  main  idea,  on  which  more  than  half  of  the  beauty 
of  a  place  depends,  is  gradually  frittered  away  on  trivialities. 
Strange  to  say,  a  general  working  plan  is  the  last  thing  most  novices 


FOR  UNITING  A  BOUNDARY  BELT  OF  TREES  TO  A  LAWN,  THE  INTERMEDIATE  SHRUB- 
BERY AND  LOW-GROWING,  FLOWERING  FOREGROUND  MAKE  A  SOFTLY  FLOWING  LINE  OF 
DESCENT 


The  Partnership  between  Nature  and  Art          7 

think  of.  Additions  to  the  garden  are  made  impulsively,  and 
merely  happen  to  be  right  or  wrong.  Every  architect  can  tell  you 
harrowing  stories  of  how  clients  have  quite  spoiled  the  effect  of 
some  of  his  best  houses  through  inconsistent,  haphazard  fur- 
nishings within  and  planting  without.  So  every  landscape  gar- 
dener cherishes  resentment  against  certain  of  his  clients  who,  not 
having  the  knowledge  or  the  inclination  to  look  after  their  own 
gardens,  turn  over  the  care  of  them  to  ignorant  labourers,  whose 
power  to  spoil  the  best  garden  picture  ever  devised  is  practically 
unlimited.  He  justly  complains  that  he  is  rarely  permitted  to 
retouch  the  picture  after  the  first  planting.  Nature,  however, 
never  ceases  trying  her  utmost  to  obliterate  all  trace  of  his  art  and 
the  hired  man  does  his  worst;  while  the  owner  usually  either  leaves 
all  to  them  or  indulges  in  an  annual  orgie  among  the  catalogues. 

"Perhaps,  I  don't  know  good  art,"  said  a  self-complacent 
lady  at  the  Royal  Academy  exhibition,  "but  I  know  what  I  like." 

"Madam,"  replied  the  withering  Ruskin,  "even  the  beasts  of 
the  field  know  that." 

It  is  as  necessary  in  the  art  of  gardening  as  in  theology  to  have 
a  reason  for  the  faith  that  is  in  us.  Anyone  may  at  least  learn  the 
principles  of  art  out-of-doors  and  the  technique  of  it,  although, 
without  the  gift  of  imagination  and  a  sense  of  proportion,  form 
and  color,  one  may  never  hope  to  become  a  great  artist.  But 
these  gifts  are  by  no  means  commonly  possessed  by  the  landscape 
gardeners  of  the  present  or  any  other  day,  much  less  monopolised 
by  them.  Expensive  horrors  are  too  often  perpetrated  on  innocent 
soil  by  trained  men  who  should  know  better.  And  it  is  conversely 
true  that  some  delightful  little  gardens  have  been  made  by  un- 
trained amateurs,  who  nevertheless  possess  the  natural  artistic 
gifts.  However,  ignorance  is  never  a  help  but  a  hindrance  in  any 


8  The  American  Flower  Garden 

profession  or  calling,  and  poverty  or  self-conceit  can  be  the  only 
excuse  for  not  getting  the  benefit  of  expert  advice. 

Special  emphasis  needs  to  be  laid  upon  the  gardener's  sense 
of  proportion  for  the  very  practical  reason  that  a  design,  no  matter 
how  excellent  artistically,  can  give  little  pleasure  to  its  owner  unless 
it  be  carefully  proportioned  to  the  size  of  his  purse.  It  is  distress- 
ing to  see  neglected  trees,  starved  shrubbery  that  cannot  bloom, 
worm-eaten  roses,  weedy  lawns  and  degenerate  flowers  because 
their  owner,  in  attempting  to  do  too  much,  could  not  afford  to 
care  for  them  properly.  Better  a  well  tended  little  flower  bed 
than  an  acre  of  disheartening  failures.  But  is  it  not  equally  dis~ 
tressing  to  see  palatial  houses  set  in  the  midst  of  cramped, 
confined  and  ugly  grounds  that  have  little  money  and  no  taste 
expended  upon  them?  Long  ago  Lord  Bacon  observed:  "A 
man  shall  ever  see  that,  when  ages  grow  to  civility  and  elegancy, 
men  come  to  build  stately  sooner  than  to  garden  finely,  as  if 
gardening  were  the  greater  perfection." 

In  democratic  America  it  has  come  to  be  thought  an  indica- 
tion of  social  selfishness  when  much  is  spent  upon  the  interior  of 
a  home,  for  the  gratification  of  the  family,  to  the  exclusion  of  worthy 
adornment  of  the  home  grounds,  in  whose  beauty  every  passer-by 
may  share.  A  well-known  architect,  who  is  also  an  expert 
landscape  gardener,  stipulates,  before  taking  a  contract,  that  at 
least  one-tenth  of  the  cost  of  a  suburban  or  country  house  shall  be 
expended  upon  its  proper  setting.  He  argues  both  from  the 
artistic  and  the  altruistic  points  of  view.  Certain  it  is  that  the 
modest  small  homes  and  gardens  which  are  his  special  delight 
possess  rare  unity  and  charm.  He  executes  a  picture  complete  in 
itself  before  he  leaves  his  task. 

The  true  artist  out-of-doors  must  needs  have  a  well  developed 


The  Partnership  between  Nature  and  Art          9 

sense  of  form.  He  appreciates,  as  well  as  a  Greek  classicist,  the 
value  and  the  beauty  of  a  line.  His  eye  follows  joyfully  the  con- 
tour of  a  range  of  hills,  the  flowing  curves  of  a  little  river  meander- 
ing through  a  meadow,  bold  masses  of  woodland  and  wild  shrub- 
bery, the  sky-line  broken  by  tree  tops,  a  winding  road  climbing 
the  hill-side,  the  bare  beauty  of  an  elm  in  winter,  the  jagged  out- 
line of  a  rock,  the  slender  swaying  stem  of  a  reed.  These  he 
studies  and  adapts  for  a  naturalistic  garden. 

But  the  study  of  art  has  also  taught  him  the  beauty  of  the 
circle  and  the  ellipse  in  a  classic  garden,  of  straight  avenues  of 
trees  and  of  clipped  hedges,  of  vistas  through  long,  parallel  rows 
of  vine-encircled  columns,  of  the  fountain,  the  mirror-like  pool, 
the  direct  paths  that  do  but  emphasise  the  formality  of  the  design, 
the  broad  velvety  terraces,  the  box-edged  parterres  of  gay  flowers, 
the  stately,  columnar  trees;  and  he  knows  that,  if  by  employing 
these  he  can  produce  a  picture  in  harmony  with  the  architecture  it 
surrounds  and  still  gratify  the  aesthetic  sense,  he  has  fulfilled  what 
Taine,  in  his  "Philosophy  of  Art,"  declared  to  be  art's  mission. 

In  Japan  there  is  a  saying:  "Let  no  one  use  the  word  'beauti- 
ful' until  he  has  seen  Nikko."  No  Occidental  should  ever  use 
the  word,  in  connection  with  a  garden  at  least,  until  he  has  seen 
the  old  classic  gardens  of  Italy.  Here,  in  this  new  country,  where 
art  out-of-doors  is  only  beginning  to  be  understood  and  appreciated, 
where  there  are  so  lamentably  few  standards  of  artistic  excellence 
and  where  so  many  crimes  are  committed  in  the  name  of  Italian 
gardens,  it  is  small  wonder  that  a  popular  prejudice  against 
them  exists.  Without  a  proper  sense  of  form  on  the  maker's  part, 
even  a  naturalistic  garden  becomes  a  chaos  and  a  void. 

There  is  a  well-known  American  artist  who  has  every  quality 
essential  for  greatness  except  the  colour  sense.  Indeed  he  is  colour- 


10 


The  American  Flower  Garden 


blind.  A  master  draughtsman  of  imagination  and  power,  his 
work  in  black  and  white  is  at  once  his  triumph  and  his  limitation. 
With  a  passion  to  paint  in  colours,  he  dares  not  trust  himself  to  use 
them  lest  they  be  the  undoing  of  his  reputation.  Would  that 
many  gardeners  similarly  afflicted  might  exercise  his  self-restraint! 

Some  people  there  are,  not  artists,  who  have  an  instinctive 
colour  sense,  which,  when  applied  to  garden  making,  gives  pleasure 
beyond  any  other  gift.  Celia  Thaxter  was  one  of  these.  Poppies, 
as  she  grew  them  in  her  garden  by  the  thousand,  outlined  against 
the  summer  sea,  were  a  vision  of  beauty  that  no  one  who  saw  them 
can  ever  forget.  She  had  an  unerring  instinct  that  told  her  not 
only  where  to  sow  her  seeds  broadcast  over  the  little  island  garden 
in  the  Isles  of  Shoals,  but  what  coloured  flowers,  blooming  in  rapid 
succession  and  in  crowds  throughout  the  long  summer,  would  so 
combine  as  always  to  make  an  harmonious  whole.  Childe  Hassam's 
paintings  of  the  lovely  pageant  have  fortunately  preserved  the 
spirit  of  the  sea-girt  garden,  which  was  as  wild  and  free  as  the  sea 
itself,  and  also  the  colour  for  which  it  is  chiefly  memorable. 

It  is  not  a  simple  matter  to  so  plan  a  garden  as  to  have  no  clash 
of  colour  in  it  any  day  of  the  year.  The  pink  phlox,  that  should 
have  finished  blooming  before  the  orange  marigolds  next  it  opened 
a  bud,  perhaps  prolongs  its  bloom  because  of  unseasonably  cool 
weather,  and  the  eye  with  a  sensitive  colour  nerve  behind  its  lens 
turns  quickly  from  the  sight.  Flaming  Oriental  poppies  do  not 
always  have  an  acre  of  greensward  separating  them  from  the  June 
roses.  It  should  be  impossible  to  include  both  at  a  glance.  The 
eye  that  can  tolerate  a  magenta  petunia  anywhere  will  doubtless 
not  object  to  it  in  an  iron  vase  next  to  a  scarlet  geranium  where  it 
usually  appears;  nor  will  such  an  untrained  eye  weep  when  a 
purple  Jackman's  clematis  spreads  its  royal  bloom  against  a  red 


THAT  IT  MAY  GIVE  THE  MOST  PLEASURE  TO  BUSY  PEOPLE,  THE  GARDEN  SHOULD  BE 
CONVENIENTLY  NEAR  THE  HOME.  ONLY  BY  LIVING  WITH  IT  ON  INTIMATE  TERMS  CAN  ITS 
BEAUTIES  BE  FULLY  REALISED  IN  DIFFERENT  LIGHTS  AND  ATMOSPHERES 


The  Partnership  between  Nature  and  Art        11 

brick  house,  or  when  masses  of  reddish  purple  bougainvillea  blos- 
soms fairly  scream  at  the  scarlet  poinsettias  in  a  tropical  garden. 
But,  by  careful  selection  in  the  first  place,  by  instant  removal 
where  two  colours  in  juxtaposition  offend,  by  the  introduction  of 
green  and  white  peacemakers  among  the  warring  flowers,  harmony 
can  be  maintained  and  it  must  be  else  there  is  no  repose,  no 
"content  in  a  garden." 


SITUATION  AND  DESIGN 


"  There  is  no  such  thing  as  a  style  fitted  for  every  situation;  only  one  who 
knows  and  studies  the  ground  well  wiU  ever  make  the  best  of  a  garden  and  any 
'  style '  may  be  right,  where  the  site  fits  it.  I  never  see  a  house  the  ground  around 
which  does  not  invite  plans  for  itself  only."  —  W.  ROBINSON. 

"All  rational  improvement  of  grounds  is,  necessarily,  founded  on  a  due 
attention  to  the  character  and  situation  of  the  place  to  be  improved;  the  former 
teaches  what  is  advisable,  the  latter  what  is  possible  to  be  done;  while  the  extent 
of  the  premises  has  less  influence  than  is  generally  imagined;  as,  however  large 
or  small  it  may  be,  one  of  the  fundamental  principles  of  landscape  gardening 
is  to  disguise  the  real  boundary"  —  REPTON. 


CHAPTER  II 

SITUATION    AND    DESIGN 

ONE  reason  why  English  gardens  are  so  wonderful  to  us 
Americans  is  that  successive  generations,  perhaps  for 
hundreds  of  years,  have  been  lovingly  and  intelligently 
at  work  upon  them,  each  striving  to  adorn  the  main  design  in  some 
new  detail  before  passing  over  the  inheritance  to  the  next  heir. 
At  the  sight  of  the  surpassing  beauty  of  Old  World  country  estates, 
as  contrasted  with  our  raw,  new,  mushroom  homes,  that  are  rarely 
lived  in  by  two  generations,  one  is  almost  persuaded  against  his 
better  judgment  that  inheritance  through  primogeniture  and 
entail  must  be  the  proper  method.  Perhaps  we  may  be  wise  enough 
some  day  to  achieve  the  same  ends  by  more  just  means,  consistent 
with  republican,  not  monarchic,  conditions.  Instead  of  endowing 
our  oldest  sons,  the  heirs-apparent  to  our  little  thrones,  we  may 
endow  the  homestead  itself — who  knows?  —  just  as  we  endow 
hospitals  and  colleges  to  insure  their  future  maintenance.  Happy 
the  children  who  are  brought  up  in  a  little  world  of  beauty  and 
who  may  one  day  hope  to  inherit  it  all  —  the  well  grown  trees,  the 
velvety  lawn,  the  established  vines  and  shrubbery  —  all  the 
cumulative  results  of  love's  labour.  Certainly,  unless  one  may 
work  for  permanence  in  the  garden  there  can  be  little  incentive 
in  this  country  toward  the  best  art  out-of-doors. 

It  is,  of  course,  expecting  too  much  that  the  site  of  the  house 
should  be  chosen  solely  with  reference  to  the  best  conditions  for 
its  garden.  We  place  our  homes,  as  a  general  rule,  not  where  there 
is  good,  rich  loam,  not  where  fine  trees  are  already  established  and 

15 


1 6  The  American  Flower  Garden 

the  situation  is  sheltered,  but  where  the  house  will  be  convenient 
to  the  railroad  station,  the  school,  our  friends,  or  the  golf  links; 
or  where  a  special  bargain  in  real  estate  may  be  had,  or  where 
the  greatest  number  of  windows  will  command  the  finest  views, 
or  where  the  prevailing  summer  breezes  will  sweep  through  the 
living-rooms,  or  where  they  will  be  protected  from  winter  winds, 
or  where  the  sunshine  may  pour  health  into  them,  or  where  perfect 
drainage  and  a  water  supply  are  best  assured.  These  and  a 
hundred  other  practical  reasons  may  dominate  the  selection  of  a 
building  site.  Relying  upon  the  bounty  of  nature  to  provide 
embellishments  for  every  spot  on  earth  man  has  yet  decided  to 
live  upon  —  and  she  has  plants  for  every  place  and  purpose  —  we 
have  been  too  apt  to  ignore  the  garden's  claims  until  the  eleventh 
hour  and  to  concentrate  all  our  thought,  oftentimes  all  our  money 
plus  a  mortagage,  upon  the  house  itself,  leaving  little  or  nothing 
for  the  setting  of  the  home  picture,  in  which,  after  all,  the  house 
should  be  merely  the  most  important  detail. 

But  if  there  is  to  be  a  union  of  the  house  and  the  landscape 
into  which  it  obtrudes  —  a  happy  marriage  between  the  house  and 
the  garden  —  the  help  of  the  artist-gardener  is  needed  most  of  all 
before  the  house  is  started,  I  had  almost  said  before  the  land  is 
bought.  For  it  is  the  design  of  a  place  as  a  whole  that  is  the  main 
thing,  whether  the  size  of  the  picture  that  is  to  be  wrought  out  is 
reckoned  in  miles,  acres,  or  square  feet.  If  the  home-maker 
cannot  afford  to  execute  the  whole  plan  at  the  outset,  it  is  all  the 
more  reason  that  he  should  possess  such  a  design  and  proceed 
methodically  to  do  what  he  can,  year  by  year,  to  execute  it 
permanently,  rather  than  waste  his  money  on  costly  experiments. 
A  rich  man  can  afford  mistakes;  a  poor  one  cannot.  Moving  soil, 
for  example,  is  surprisingly  expensive.  A  cart-load  of  it  dumped 


Situation  and  Design  17 

on  a  lawn  looks  but  little  larger  than  an  ant-hill,  and  the  equivalent 
of  a  landscape  architect's  fee  might  be  easily  wasted  in  an  unintelli- 
gent disposal  of  the  top  soil  alone.  A  plan  which  involves  annual 
upheavals  and  repeated  efforts  upon  the  same  piece  of  land  and 
the  incessant  care  of  a  skilled  gardener,  is  a  very  poor  plan  indeed 
for  a  man  of  modest  means.  Skyrocket  effects  of  coleus,  geraniums 
and  other  bedding  plants  from  the  florist  are  rarely  desirable  in 
any  case,  but  usually  the  novice's  first  undirected  efforts  are  to  get 
them.  All  plants  require  some  attention,  but  not  necessarily 
annual  attention;  certainly  not  annual  renewal.  A  permanent 
planting  of  hardy  shrubs  and  perennials  has  all  the  artistic  qualities 
and  the  practical  ones  as  well.  Since  it  takes  years  for  newly 
planted  trees  to  look  thoroughly  at  home,  delay  in  setting  them 
out  means  a  needless  prolonging  of  the  raw,  unfinished  state  of 
the  place.  The  era  of  vanity  —  or  was  it  parsimony? — when 
every  man  presumed  to  be  his  own  lawyer,  his  own  doctor,  or 
architect,  or  garden  designer,  is  happily  being  superseded  by  an 
age  of  specialists  whom  the  wise  consult  more  and  more. 

It  goes  without  saying  that  the  professional  gardener  to  be 
chosen  should  be  practical  as  well  as  an  artist  —  one  who  has  had 
too  much  experience  with  growing  things  to  advise  planting  elms 
on  a  dry,  sandy  hill-top  or  tea  roses  near  Quebec.  Enormous 
sums  have  been  wasted  on  rhododendrons  alone,  through  attempting 
to  grow  in  this  country  imported  foreign  hybrids  which  soon  give 
up  the  struggle  for  existence  in  our  uncongenial  climate;  whereas 
lasting  and  equally  beautiful  effects  may  be  produced  from  hardy 
hybrids  of  our  native  rhododendron  race.  Costly  mistakes  are 
made  annually  in  planting  yews  and  certain  other  European  ever- 
greens. Manchuria  and  Siberia,  with  climatic  conditions  similar 
to  our  own,  are  likely  to  yield  far  more  valuable  treasures  for  the 


1 8  The  American  Flower  Garden 

lawn  and  garden  than  the  continent  of  Europe,  where  we  have 
looked  too  long,  not  only  for  models  of  design,  which  may  be 
sometimes  desirable,  but  for  the  plants  to  execute  them,  which 
most  often  are  not. 

Where  is  that  nurseryman's  catalogue  so  frankly  honest  that 
the  novice  may  learn  from  it  what  not  to  buy  ?  It  is  safe  to  say 
that  millions  of  dollars  worth  of  plants  die  for  the  lack  of  intelligent 
selection,  planting,  or  care.  Decidedly,  for  economic  reasons  as 
well  as  artistic,  we  Americans  are  sorely  in  need  of  more  disinter- 
ested, expert  advice.  But  beware  of  the  adviser  who  has  an  axe 
to  grind.  There  are  some  excellent  men  connected  with  nursery 
establishments  of  the  highest  class,  but  the  frequent  tendency  is 
to  retain  "landscape  gardeners"  of  little  or  no  artistic  training 
whose  real  business  is  to  sell  plants  for  their  employers.  Naturally 
the  temptation  is  to  load  the  client  with  as  much  stock  as  possible, 
regardless  of  its  value  to  the  general  effect  of  his  place.  "  Plant 
thick;  thin  quick/'  is  a  popular  saying  in  the  trade.  The 
disinterested  professional,  with  no  commercial  connections,  makes 
it  his  business  to  secure  for  his  client  the  best  stock  that  may  be 
purchased  anywhere  in  the  open  market  and  at  the  lowest  price. 
Likewise  beware  of  the  landscape  gardener  who  does  not  insist 
upon  studying  the  garden  problem  on  the  land  where  it  is  to  be 
worked  out;  who  would  attempt  to  furnish  a  design  from  a  few 
photographs  of  your  grounds  at  his  office  desk,  or  copy  another 
garden  that  he  made  successfully  elsewhere.  Ninety-nine  chances 
out  of  one  hundred  it  will  not  suit  your  place;  perhaps  not  a 
single  feature  could  be  transferred  to  advantage.  It  is  easier  to 
copy  than  to  originate,  but  rarely  satisfying  either  to  the  aesthetic 
or  to  the  moral  sense. 

The  architect  of  the  house,  who  very  often  essays  the  role  of 


Situation  and  Design  19 

designer  of  its  surroundings,  that  the  effect  of  his  work  may  not  be 
spoiled  by  his  client,  usually  lacks  a  knowledge  of  plants,  without 
which  there  can  be  no  lasting  success.  Such  knowledge  can  be 
had  only  by  years  of  special  study  and  experiment,  quite  beyond 
the  attainment  of  most  professional  architects.  The  landscape 
gardener  on  the  other  hand,  very  often  lacks  the  needful  knowledge 
of  design,  apart  from  the  naturalistic  treatment  of  very  large  park- 
like  areas.  He  may  know  a  great  deal  about  plants,  how  to  choose 
and  how  to  grow  them,  but  usually  he  knows  very  little  about  the 
principles  of  art  and  design,  or  how  to  treat  the  land  adjoining 
buildings.  The  natural  landscape  he  understands,  and  his  usual 
endeavour  is  to  bring  its  purely  informal  lines  right  up  to  the  purely 
formal  lines  of  a  building,  with  disastrous  results  from  the  artistic 
view-point.  Happily  there  are  not  a  few  well-rounded  men, 
however,  trained  in  design  as  well  as  horticulture,  who  are  lifting 
the  art  of  gardening  in  this  country  to  a  higher  plane  than  it  ever 
before  attained  here.  And  more  will  be  forthcoming  when  their 
value  is  more  generally  appreciated. 

But  if,  for  any  sufficient  cause,  one  may  not  employ  disinterested, 
expert  advice,  one  may  at  least  proceed  in  the  artistic  spirit  along 
reasonable  lines,  acquiring  by  patient  study  of  one's  own  peculiar 
problem  the  knowledge  necessary  to  solve  it,  and  so  enjoy  one's 
self  all  the  fun  of  garden  making.  Then,  indeed,  the  garden 
becomes  one's  very  own  and  best  beloved.  It  is  not,  or  should  not 
be,  a  matter  of  capricious  taste,  but  a  matter  of  reason  and  thei 
affections.  Principles  of  composition  govern  its  making,  it  is 
true,  as  surely  as  they  do  a  painting  in  oils;  nevertheless  the 
application  of  those  principles  to  each  individual  garden  problem 
should  be  as  various  as  the  gardens  themselves  that  each  may 
possess  its  own  distinctive  features  and  charm.  Personality 


20  The  American  Flower  Garden 

reflected  in  a  garden  may  be  its  chief  attraction.  Better  a  craving 
for  the  ideal  carried  to  a  "fine  lunacy"  than  the  coldly  correct, 
impersonal  art  of  an  unimpassioned  hireling.  It  were  happiness 
indeed  if,  when  the  time  for  garden  making  comes,  Art 

"shall  say  to  thee: 
'  I  find  you  worthy,  do  this  thing  for  me.' " 

(Before  daring  to  proceed  with  a  single  detail  on  the  place, 
study  your  piece  of  land  as  a  whole  from  every  point  of  view.  Map 
it  out  on  a  large  sheet  of  tough  paper.  Draw  it  to  scale,  if  possible. 
Show  its  elevations  and  depressions  and  respect  these  as  far  as 
may  be  when  you  come  to  grade  rather  than  attempt  the  expense 
and  achieve  the  ugliness  of  reducing  the  land  to  a  monotonous 
level  like  a  billiard  table.  Every  plot  of  ground,  like  every  human 
face,  has  an  individuality  to  be  emphasised  rather  than  obliterated. 
If  your  place  is  not  a  small  one,  divide  the  map  into  several 
enlarged  sections  for  special  study  and  treatment.  This  book  can 
help  you  with  only  one  section,  the  area  to  be  pictorially  treated. 
It  concerns  itself  with  the  flower  garden  only,  not  with  forestry, 
road-making,  the  vegetable  garden,  orchard,  vineyard,  poultry 
yard,  or  any  other  utilitarian  subject,  however  important,  that  may 
engage  the  home-maker's  attention.  But  the  flower  garden,  of 
many  types,  is  broadly  interpreted  to  include  the  lawn  and  the  trees 
and  shrubs  suitable  for  it,  because  these  contribute  so  immeasur- 
ably to  the  garden  picture  that  no  really  good  one  can  be  made 
without  them.  In  the  succeeding  chapters  the  artistic  principles 
that  should  govern  each  style  of  garden  and  the  directions  for  its 
making  will  be  given  for  the  benefit  of  the  novice  with  aspirations. 
On  the  chart  of  the  garden  area  put  arrows  to  indicate  the 
direction  of  objects  of  beauty  or  interest,  such  as  a  fine  view,  a 
vista  through  the  trees,  a  gigantic  pine,  or  a  mirror-like  lake  toward 


Situation  and  Design  21 

which  attention  should  be  directed.  Put  crosses  where  unsightly 
objects  need  to  be  screened  or  planted  out;  but  first  make  very 
sure  that  what  you  have  considered  an  eye-sore  may  not  be 
transformed  into  an  object  of  beauty.  Consider  deepening  the 
dismal  swamp  into  a  pond  for  a  water  garden;  covering  the  dead 
tree  with  a  mantle  of  vines  instead  of  chopping  it  down ;  making  an 
alpine  garden  among  the  rocks  instead  of  blasting  them  out. 

Think  well  before  locating  the  house,  even  on  paper,  and 
include  the  drive  or  path  by  which  it  is  to  be  approached  in  your 
calculations.  Many  a  house  has  been  completed  before  it  was 
discovered  that  the  only  route  left  to  it  approached  from  the  worst 
possible  point  of  vantage,  or  spoiled  the  chances  for  a  good  broad 
lawn,  or  necessitated  too  steep  a  grade,  or  cut  the  garden  picture 
in  half. 

Oftentimes  considerable  planting  may  be  done  on  larger  grounds 
than  suburban  lots  before  the  house  is  built,  but  only  on  the  area 
outside  of  the  building  operations,  where  the  carpenter's,  plumber's 
and  painter's  horses  will  not  feast  upon  the  tender  new  growth  or 
strip  off  the  bark  from  your  favourite  possessions.  As  soon  as  the 
design  of  your  place  has  been  mapped  out,  a  list  of  such  trees,  shrubs 
and  hardy  perennials  as  will  be  needed  to  execute  it  may  be  made. 
Do  not  try  to  collect  a  museum  of  plants;  avoid  freaks  of  variegated 
foliage,  exclamation  points  of  colour,  strange  exotics  that  look  out 
of  place  in  our  American  landscape,  and  the  beguiling  novelties 
of  the  catalogues.  Personally  visit  several  reliable  nurseries  if 
possible,  make  your  own  selections  and  see  them  tagged  with  your 
name.  Choose  well-grown,  vigorous  stock  at  a  fair  price  rather 
than  the  puny  disappointments  that,  alas!  are  what  tempt  so  many 
because  they  are  erroneously  considered  cheap.  Many  a  man, 
intensely  practical  in  his  own  business,  will  give  his  order  to  the 


22  The  American  Flower  Garden 

lowest  bidder  among  competing  nurserymen  and  waste  years 
looking  at  sickly,  struggling  or  dying  trees,  shrubs  and  perennials 
about  his  home  rather  than  invest  a  little  more  money  and  get 
satisfaction  and  joy  from  the  start.  Poor  stock  is  dear  at  any  price. 

In  an  out-of-the-way  corner  of  your  place  prepare  the  ground 
for  a  little  nursery  of  your  own  by  deeply  ploughing  the  soil, 
enriching  it  well,  and  lightening  it,  if  it  be  heavy,  with  sand,  leaf- 
mould  from  the  woods  or  humus  from  the  compost  heap.  Plants 
make  very  slow  growth  in  clay  soil.  A  rich,  sandy  loam,  cool 
and  moist  with  much  decomposed  vegetable  matter  through  it, 
favours  the  rapid  growth  that  the  owner  of  a  new  place  so  greatly 
longs  for.  As  soon  as  the  stock  arrives,  set  it  out  in  rows,  with 
room  to  spread  and  with  sufficient  space  between  the  rows  for 
cultivation  with  the  wheeled  hoe.  A  mulch  of  stable  litter  or 
leaves  will  protect  the  roots  from  drying  out  in  summer  and  from 
winter  frosts.  Perhaps  a  greater  percentage  of  nursery  stock  dies 
for  the  lack  of  mulching  before  it  becomes  well  established  than 
from  any  other  cause.  If  the  house  is  not  to  be  built  for  a  few 
years,  this  little  nursery  will  yield  a  very  high  rate  of  compound 
interest,  for  the  small  stock,  which  it  pays  the  nurseryman  best  to 
sell  you,  was  comparatively  cheap,  but  it  would  be  sadly  ineffective 
on  a  new  place;  whereas  the  larger,  older  stock  you  now  possess, 
which  is  disproportionately  costly  and  difficult  to  buy,  gives 
delightful,  quick  results.  Be  sure  you  know  just  the  tree  or  shrub 
for  a  given  spot  on  your  place  before  buying  it.  One  can  no  more 
plant  one's  grounds  in  a  hurry  than  one  can  successfully  furnish 
a  house  outright  in  a  week.  One  must  feel  one's  way  along,  and 
realise  the  need  of  a  certain  plant  for  a  certain  place  before  pro- 
ceeding to  get  it. 

Near  the  place  chosen  for  the  garden,  its  jealous  guardian 


Situation  and  Design  23 

angel  will  save  every  precious  ounce  of  top  soil  and  sod  that  comes 
from  the  site  of  the  house  and  the  cutting  of  drives  and  paths. 
There  will  be  no  wasteful  burning  of  leaves  in  the  autumn.  What 
are  not  needed  as  a  mulch  will  form  the  basis  of  a  rich  compost 
heap  piled  up  with  broken  sod,  cut  grass,  manure,  and  wood  ashes. 
The  merest  novice  must  know  that  there  can  be  no  success  in  a 
garden  without  a  careful  study  of  the  soil,  and  the  needs  of  the  | 
various  species  of  plants  that  are  to  draw  their  sustenance  from  it. 

Some  situations  there  are,  a  very  few,  where  a  house  may 
be  placed  in  the  midst  of  wild  scenery,  so  surpassingly  beautiful 
in  itself,  that  any  garden  artifice  attempted  seems  a  profanation. 
But  even  a  camp  in  the  wildest  Adirondacks,  without  some  planting 
about  it  to  simulate  Nature's  garden  coming  to  its  very  doors, 
appears  to  spring  impertinently  from  the  soil  like  a  Jack-from-the- 
box.  The  very  act  of  building  a  house  anywhere  destroys  nature's 
balance,  and  man's  best  endeavours  are  required  first  of  all  to 
restore  harmony.  Whether  the  situation  demands  a  wild  garden 
or  a  formal  one,  the  matter  of  fundamental  importance  is  to 
establish  the  right  relationship  at  the  outset  between  the  house 
and  its  environment. 

A  bit  of  wild  tangled  woodland  is  very  beautiful,  but  it  is  not 
a  garden,  and  the  moment  a  man  thrusts  a  spade  into  the  earth 
or  fells  a  tree,  or  sets  out  a  plant  where  one  did  not  grow  before, 
that  moment  he  becomes  responsible  for  the  effect  of  the  land 
he  subverts  to  his  will.  A  garden  should  be  "man's  report  of 
earth  at  her  best." 

There  are  those  ardent  lovers  of  unspoiled  nature  who  consider 
any  house  a  pimple  on  her  face.  Salve  it  over  with  vines,  veil  it 
heavily  with  trees  and  shrubbery,  still  it  is  a  blemish  to  be  apologised 
for,  if  not  concealed.  Surely  a  well-designed  house,  pure  in  style 


24  The  American  Flower  Garden 

and  restrained  in  treatment,  needs  no  apology  for  its  existence. 
Beauty  of  architecture  is  its  own  excuse  for  being.  In  this  day  of 
well-trained  architects  there  should  be  no  excuse,  except  the 
untrained  client,  for  building  an  ugly  house.  Unhappily,  mongrel 
architecture  is  still  in  our  midst  -  "the  pug-Newfoundland-poodle- 
hound-style,"  a  famous  architect  calls  it  —  but  it  is  passing,  and  a 
distinguished  Englishman  who  recently  revisited  this  country  after 
an  absence  of  fifteen  years  declares  that  in  no  direction  have  the 
Americans  made  more  rapid  advance  than  in  the  building  of  beau- 
tiful homes.  We  have  learned  the  wisdom  of  consulting  the  best 
architects  before  attempting  to  build.  As  a  people,  we  have  not 
yet  learned  to  seek  advice  of  a  similar  artistic  grade  when  it  comes 
to  the  treatment  of  that  most  important  piece  of  land  in  all  the 
world  —  the  area,  be  it  large  or  small,  around  the  home ;  which  is 
why  one  may  see  a  dozen  good  houses  before  one  can  discover  a 
single  beautiful,  satisfying  bit  of  art  out-of-doors.  Every  architect, 
let  us  hope,  will  one  day  have  a  professional  gardener  associate 
in  his  office.  Their  work  is  largely  interdependent.  The  advantage 
of  frequent  conferences  between  them  would  be  immeasurable 
to  the  client. 

The  style  of  architecture  best  adapted  to  the  climate,  natural 
situation  and  purse  of  the  owner  having  been  decided,  the  next 
problem  to  present  itself  is  how  to  tie  the  bald  new  house  to  the 
landscape  into  which  it  suddenly  obtrudes.  Obviously  the  solution 
must  vary  in  every  case.  The  Colonial  type  of  house  would  lose 
its  dignity  if  surrounded  by  woods  and  a  wild  garden  like  a  log 
camp,  and  the  unpretentious  little  seaside  vacation  cottage  be  made 
ridiculous  by  an  Italian  garden  on  a  terrace.  A  Spanish  house 
needs  palms,  yuccas  and  other  tropical  or  semi-tropical  garden 
accessories  under  Southern  skies.  Each  style  of  architecture  and 


Situation  and  Design  25 

no  style  of  architecture  demand  a  different  setting.  While  the 
stately,  perfectly  proportioned  Georgian  type  requires  a  formal,  bal- 
anced treatment  of  trees  and  shrubbery  masses  immediately  about 
it,  and  implies  the  box-edged  parterres  filled  with  old-fashioned 
flowers  as  a  central  feature  of  the  garden  design,  the  house  of 
nondescript  architecture,  which  might  well  be  called  the  Predomi- 
nant, may  be  treated  electively,  and  sometimes  most  informally. 
Even  the  house  that  is  "Queen  Anne  in  front  and  Mary  Ann 
behind"  may  have  some  of  its  ugliness  mercifully  concealed. 
It  is  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  design  can  concern  formality  only. 
Where  the  architecture  is  not  pure,  vines,  shrubbery  and  trees, 
judiciously  placed,  may  perhaps  conceal  the  defects,  which  is 
one  of  the  many  things  to  be  said  in  favour  of  the  informal  treat- 
ment. Although  such  a  house  may  have  shrubs  and  flowers  all 
about  it,  it  may  possess  no  special  spot  that  might  properly  be 
called  a  flower  garden  at  all.  However,  there  are  very  few  houses 
indeed  that  are  not  improved  by  a  formal  touch  about  them  some-  ! 
where.  Most  houses,  of  whatever  style,  are  benefited  through  j 
carrying  the  principles  of  architectural  design  out  to  their  imme-  \ 
diate  surroundings.  Not  every  Elizabethan  house  was  set  on  a 
bowling  green  above  a  hedged  and  knotted  garden,  nor  need  it 
be  to-day;  but  surely  no  one  with  the  artistic  spirit  would  try  to 
unite  it  to  the  landscape  by  a  Japanese  garden.  Yet  a  newly  rich 
lady,  whose  architect  had  achieved  a  Tudor  triumph  in  stone  and 
half  timber,  surrounded  it  with  a  poor  imitation  of  a  Japanese 
landscape  in  miniature  within  six  weeks  after  the  architect's  back 
was  turned. 

"I  can  never  forgive  you,"  wrote  the  outraged  designer. 

"What  concern  is  it  of  yours  ?     Is  n't  your  bill  paid  ?"  replied 
the  complacent  parvenu,  who,  that  very  day,  was  arranging  for 


26  The  American  Flower  Garden 

the  Japanese  water-garden  of  many  storks,  stones  and  bridges,  to 
be  fed  from  an  old  Florentine  fountain  on  the  other  side  of  the 
house.  The  idea  of  giving  her  Elizabethan  house  a  suitable  setting 
in  which  the  shades  of  Lord  Bacon  or  Shakespeare  himself  might 
feel  at  home,  could  not  enter  such  a  head  unaided  by  a  tactful 
professional  gardener. 

The  style  of  architecture  of  the  house  may  be  a  limitation  or  a 
great  opportunity,  whichever  one  is  pleased  to  consider  it.  Infinite 
variety  is  possible  with  the  historic  method.  It  is  not  necessarily 
stereotyped. 

There  are  cases,  perhaps,  where  a  better  architectural  effect 
may  be  had  by  bringing  an  unbroken  stretch  of  lawn  to  the  very 
foundations  of  a  house  where  vines  and  a  fringe  of  shrubbery 
might  be  their  only  screen;  but  in  order  that  it  may  give  the  most 
I  pleasure,  the  garden  should  be  conveniently  near  the  dwelling. 
Then  it  may  be  lived  with  and  lived  in,  enjoyed  without  effort, 
seen  from  the  windows  by  busy  workers  indoors,  tended  with  the 
least  trouble,  quickly  robbed  of  some  of  its  wealth  for  vases  by 
the  mistress  of  the  house,  its  interests  safeguarded  by  every 
member  of  the  family,  as  well  as  the  hired  man.  Only  by  living 
with  one's  garden  can  its  beauties  be  fully  realised,  for  every  pass- 
ing cloud  changes  the  effect  of  light  and  atmosphere  —  the  most 
potent  factors  of  beauty  out-of-doors.  A  garden  by  moonlight 
becomes  a  new  revelation.  Then  every  defect  is  concealed, 
glaring  colours  recede  into  nothingness,  and  only  the  white  flowers 
—  the  long  fragrant  trumpets  of  nicotine,  spires  of  foxgloves,  tall 
white  lilies,  a  Milky  Way  of  cosmos  stars,  snow  balls  of  phlox 
and  peonies  or  a  foam  of  boltonia  —  have  their  loveliness  enhanced 
by  the  night. 

If  we  must  walk  through  wet  grass  to  a  distant  part  of  the 


FOR  A  HOME  OCCUPIED  IN  SUMMER  ONLY,  FLOWERS  CLOSE  ABOUT  IT  ARE  DELIGHTFUL 
IF  ARRANGED  FOR  COLOUR  HARMONY  AND  UNINTERRUPTED  SUCCESSION.  WINTER  HOMES 
NEED  LOW  EVERGREENS  AND  BRIGHT-BERRIED  SHRUBBERY  ABOUT  THEM  FOR  CHEERFUL- 
NESS WHEN  FLOWER  BEDS  ARE  BARE  AND  UNSIGHTLY 


Situation  and  Design  27 

grounds  on  a  hot  day,  perhaps  to  an  end  of  the  vegetable  garden 
devoted  to  flowers,  before  the  eyes  may  feast  upon  them,  or  a  few 
blossoms  may  be  gathered  for  the  dinner  table,  immeasurable 
pleasure  is  lost,  as  well  as  a  decorative  adjunct  to  the  house.  What 
would  the  little  cottages  of  England  look  like  without  the  gay 
gardens  around  every  doorstep?  How  much  a  well  composed 
garden  may  add  to  the  beauty  of  the  house  itself  by  extending 
lines  that  end  too  abruptly,  by  softening  sharp  angles,  by  broad- 
ening the  effect  of  a  house  that  is  too  high  for  its  width  with  masses 
of  shrubbery  or  hedges  on  its  sides,  by  nestling  around  a  house  on  a 
hill  top,  or  by  reconciling  another  to  a  plain !  The  house  and  garden 
should  seem  to  be  inseparable  complements  each  of  the  other. 
It  is  conceivable,  however,  that  not  every  desirable  building 
site  would  permit  a  garden  near  the  dwelling,  that  is,  not  a  garden 
of  definite  boundaries.  A  cottage  perched  on  a  cliff  overhanging 
the  sea,  for  example,  could  not  have  flower  beds  and  specimen 
trees  and  shrubs  on  the  rocky  ledges,  nor  would  they  be  desirable; 
but  the  storm-resisting  native  pines  and  hardy  stunted  shrubbery  — 
bayberry,  barberries,  St.  John's  wort  and  broom  —  would  grow 
there  and  perfectly  fit  the  landscape.  A  tide  of  flowers  might 
surge  around  the  rocky  base  of  the  promontory,  and  some  flotsam 
and  jetsam  of  bloom,  like  the  sand-loving  portulacca  and  sea-pinks, 
extend  almost  to  the  waves.  Where  nature  left  off  and  art  began 
it  would  be  impossible  for  any  one  but  the  maker  of  that  garden 
to  say.  Every  region  has  its  own  wealth  of  native  plants  which 
should  be  drawn  from  much  more  freely  than  it  is.  The  laurel  was 
quite  without  honour  in  its  own  country  until  after  it  had  become 
a  favourite  in  Europe,  thanks  to  its  introduction  by  Peter  Kalm, 
when  we  could  actually  import  it  from  European  nurseries  more 
conveniently  than  we  could  dig  it  from  the  woods  at  home. 


28  The  American  Flower  Garden 

A  garden  is  no  less  a  garden  because  it  defies  all  limitations 
and  conventions.  And  the  artistic  spirit  likewise  refuses  to  be 
bound  by  the  fads  and  fancies  of  the  gardener's  craft.  Art  out- 
of-doors  is  universal,  like  nature  herself,  and  knows  no  predilection 
for  Italian  gardens  above  wild  gardens,  for  informal  or  naturalistic 
ones  rather  than  for  the  prim,  box-edged  flower  beds  of  our 
grandmothers,  for  the  water  garden  in  the  humid  East  above  the 
cactus  garden  of  the  desert.  Fitness  and  beauty  suffice.  Happily 
every  garden  site  is  a  law  unto  itself  to  which  the  gardener  must 
submit.  No  two  gardens,  no  two  human  faces,  were  ever  alike. 
Both  have  individuality  as  their  chief  charm. 

But  it  is  generally  conceded  that  every  garden  picture  is 
improved  by  a  frame.  The  sea,  a  wood,  a  tree-girt  lawn,  a  lake, 
a  hedge,  a  wall,  a  court  yard,  a  pergola,  a  terrace,  a  hillside,  or 
the  house  itself,  any  or  several  of  these,  and  some  other  boundaries, 
natural  and  artificial,  may  set  off  the  garden's  own  peculiar  beauty 
to  the  best  advantage.  The  needs  of  plants  are  so  various  that 
their  loveliness  can  best  be  shown  in  a  variety  of  situations  and 
settings. 


THE  FORMAL  GARDEN 


llFrom  the  intimate  union  of  art  and  nature,  of  architecture  and  landscape, 
will  be  born  the  best  gardening  compositions  which  Time,  purifying  public  taste, 
now  promises  to  bring  us"  —  EDOUARD  ANDRE. 


CHAPTER   III 

THE    FORMAL    GARDEN 

SINCE  orthodoxy  was  ever  "my  doxy/'  it  need  surprise  no 
one  but  the  merest  tyro  in  gardening  to  learn  that  this, 
the  most  peaceful  of  the  arts,  has  the  greater  part  of  its 
devotees  divided  into  two  bitterly  hostile  camps.  The  "spirit  of 
sect,"  so  heartily  deplored  by  Turgot  in  matters  of  politics  and 
religion,  is  rife  even  in  their  midst,  and  there  would  seem  to  be  no 
more  likelihood  of  a  truce  between  them  now  than  in  the  days  when 
the  affected,  complacent  Addison  made  admirable  copy  in  the 
Spectator,  and  Pope,  that  most  artificial  of  jingling  rhymesters, 
amused  his  generation  by  poking  fun  at  formal  gardens  generally, 
and  not  alone  at  the  errors  which  undoubtedly  disfigured  much  of 
the  "Italian"  gardening  in  the  England  of  his  time.  Pope,  while 
he  professed  to  abhor  hedges,  pleached  walks  and  statuary  in 
gardens,  and  to  adore  nature  unadorned,  nevertheless  went  on 
piling  up  rocks  and  shells  into  grottos  at  Twickenham,  making 
cascades,  bridges,  miniature  torrents  and  wild,  mountainous  im- 
possibilities in  a  pastoral  landscape  until  he  had,  in  much  condensed, 
compendium  form,  a  sample  of  every  kind  of  scenery  his  fertile 
brain  could  conjure,  and  all  within  five  acres. 

These  two  literary  men,  Addison  and  Pope,  with  not  a  little  help 
from  Walpole,  neither  artists  nor  yet  gardeners,  who  knew  not 
what  they  were  undoing,  must  be  held  largely  responsible  for  bring- 
ing about  the  radical  reaction  in  garden  methods  which  swept 
away  with  axe,  plough  and  grubbing  hoe  most  of  the  tree-lined 
avenues  like  cathedral  aisles,  the  ancient  evergreen  hedges,  the 

31 


32  The  American  Flower  Garden 

broad  terraces  and  box-edged  parterres  that  had  been  the  glory 
of  the  old  English  estates,  influenced  by  the  Renaissance.  The 
saying  that  nature  abhors  a  straight  line  was  construed  to  war- 
rant the  destruction  of  every  line  of  oaks  and  elms,  every  direct 
road  and  path  on  English  country  places.  People  professed  to 
travel  cheerfully,  in  the  name  of  reform,  twice  the  distance  in 
meaningless  serpentine  twists  and  turns  to  reach  either  their  en- 
trance gate  or  the  kitchen  garden.  The  planting  of  trees  and 
shrubbery  was  supposed  to  be  ridiculous  if  wild  nature  were  not 
copied  literally.  Hence  the  logical  step  was  presently  taken  of 
setting  out  an  occasional  dead  tree  in  English  parks.  Devotees 
of  the  so-called  natural  school  went  so  far  as  to  refuse  to  clip  their 
lawns  —  those  wonderful  velvet  lawns  which  are  the  very  heart  of 
the  English  garden.  Quite  as  many  crimes  were  committed  in 
the  name  of  nature  by  the  unintelligent  followers  of  Repton  and 
"Capability"  Brown  as  had  been  done  in  the  name  of  art  by  the 
formal  gardeners  who  had  reached  the  baroque  period  of  decadence 
before  Addison's  day. 

For  the  novice  who  turns  for  inspiration  to  Robinson's  "The 
English  Flower  Garden,"  one  of  the  most  delightfully  infectious 
books  on  gardening  ever  written,  is  to  be  taught  that  the  formal 
garden  is  most  unlovely  and  absurd.  Robinson  is  an  enthusiastic 
horticulturist  who  simply  cannot  see  the  architectural  point  of 
view.  On  the  other  hand,  let  the  novice  take  up  Blomfield's 
"The  Formal  Garden,"  or  Sedding's  exquisitely  written  "Garden 
Craft,"  and  he  will  get  the  notion  that  the  naturalistic  method  of 
making  a  garden  or  treating  a  landscape  is  unworthy  to  be 
called  an  art  at  all. 

'The  question  at  issue  is  a  very  simple  one,"  says  Blomfield, 
who  is  Robinson's  special  bete  noire.   "  Is  the  garden  to  be  considered 


The  Formal  Garden  33 

in  relation  to  the  house,  and  as  an  integral  part  of  a  design  which 
depends  for  its  success  on  the  combined  effect  of  house  and  garden; 
or  is  the  house  to  be  ignored  in  dealing  with  the  garden  as  a  part  of 
nature  ?  The  latter  is  the  position  of  the  landscape  gardener  in 
real  fact.  There  is  some  affectation  in  his  treatises  of  recognising 
the  relationship  between  the  two,  but  his  actual  practice  shows 
that  this  admission  is  only  borrowed  from  the  formal  school  to 
save  appearances,  and  is  out  of  court  in  a  method  which  systemat- 
ically dispenses  with  any  kind  of  system  whatever/' 

And  so  the  battle  of  words  comes  down  to  the  present  day  in 
England,  from  whence  our  training  in  garden  tactics  has  been 
largely  derived.  Not  until  quite  lately  have  we  had  any  garden 
literature  of  our  own,  and  even  now  England  continues  to  supply 
most  of  the  text  books.  To  the  dispassionate  observer  it  is  quite 
plain  that  ammunition  for  both  sides  of  the  conflict  has  been 
gathered,  not  from  the  best  examples  of  the  formal  or  the  natural- 
istic school  of  gardening,  but  from  the  poorest  examples  of  the 
other's  work  that  the  partisan  devotees  of  each  could  find. 

Where  did  the  formal  garden  originate  ?  Wherein  lies  the 
magic  that  draws  men  to  it  in  every  age  ? 

Maspero,  in  his  "Dawn  of  Civilisation,"  tells  of  an  Egyptian 
nobleman  who  lived  over  four  thousand  years  before  Christ,  whose 
splendid  fruit,  vegetable  and  flower  garden,  formally  laid  out, 
was  described  upon  his  tomb.  When  various  forms  of  art  spread 
from  Egypt  to  other  lands,  no  doubt  the  art  of  gardening  was 
widely  copied.  Even  the  sea-roving  Phoenicians  had  fine  gardens, 
and  we  feel  sure  that  the  famous  hanging  gardens  of  Babylon, 
from  the  very  nature  of  their  site,  could  have  been  nothing  but 
formal.  Greek  gardens,  which,  like  the  Egyptian,  were  a  com- 
bination of  the  utilitarian  and  the  decorative,  were  laid  out  with 


34  The  American  Flower  Garden 

cold  precision,  purely  in  keeping  with  the  classic  severity  of  the 
architecture  they  surrounded.  They  must  have  been  too  severely 
formal  to  be  enjoyed  and  lived  in  as  the  Romans  enjoyed  and 
lived  in  theirs,  which  they,  in  turn,  derived  from  the  Greeks. 

On  the  Roman  and  Alban  hillsides,  where  the  patricians  had 
their  villas,  the  terrace,  which  was  cut  at  first  as  a  necessity  to 
prevent  wash-outs  on  the  steep  slopes,  was  soon  cleverly  utilised  as 
a  pictorial  feature.  A  terraced  hill,  of  course,  necessitated  steps 
and  balustrades  for  convenience  and  safety,  because  the  Romans, 
who  lived  much  out  of  doors,  entered  their  homes  through  their 
gardens.  Pliny,  in  his  letters,  describes  two  of  his  villas,  but  so 
far  no  antiquarian  has  been  able  to  identify  them  with  the  remains 
of  any  that  are  now  known.  In  the  house  of  the  Vettii  at  Pompeii 
we  may  see  to-day  a  delightful  little  garden  in  the  central  court, 
faultlessly  restored,  where  every  room  of  the  house  opens  upon 
it.  The  inmates  of  that  home,  whose  bodies  have  been  dust  for 
nearly  nineteen  centuries,  heard  these  very  fountains  splash  their 
refreshing  waters  among  the  flowers.  How  near  us  does  that 
little  garden  bring  the  everyday  life  of  Pompeii! 

With  the  delightful  use  of  gardens  as  outdoor  living-rooms,  the 
utilitarian  features  —  vegetable  patches,  fruit  trees,  and  vineyards 
—  were  banished  either  to  a  distant  part  of  the  Roman's  estate  or 
to  an  outlying  farm,  and  the  garden  now  came  to  be  recognised  as 
an  adjunct  to  the  house,  partly  architectural  and  wholly  decorative. 
Accordingly,  no  pains  were  spared  to  make  it  so.  The  same  prin- 
ciples of  design  which  governed  the  house  were  extended  to  the 
grounds  immediately  surrounding  it,  and  there  they  left  off  abruptly. 
Such  weather-proof  embellishments  as  the  Roman  patrician,  con- 
noisseur, and  collector  had  inside  his  dwelling  —  beautiful  statuary, 
sculptured  seats  and  vases  of  marble  —  were  taken  to  his  open-air 


The  Formal  Garden  35 

living-room  for  their  greater  enjoyment.  Can  we  doubt  that  their 
chaste  beauty  was  less  appreciated  when  set  on  balustrades  and 
terraces  against  the  dark  background  of  olive,  ilex,  and  cypress  ? 

But  with  the  growth  of  luxury  in  the  Empire  decadence  began ; 
the  topiary  gardener  did  his  worst,  and  innocent  trees,  frivolously 
clipped  into  the  forms  of  impossible  birds  and  beasts,  with  much 
else  that  was  absurdly  artificial,  marked  the  decline  of  art  in  the 
Roman's  once  simple  and  dignified  pleasure  ground.  After  the 
fall  of  Rome,  when  the  darkness  of  the  Middle  Ages  settled  down 
over  Europe,  gardening,  with  all  her  sister  arts  of  peace,  slumbered 
for  centuries.  The  mediaeval  garden,  where  it  existed  at  all,  we 
learn  from  old,  illuminated  missals,  was  merely  a  monastery's 
patch  of  "simples"  or  vegetables  tended  by  a  monk,  or  an  enclos- 
ure within  the  castle's  precincts,  where  herbs  grew  around  the 
well  and  fruit  trees  were  espaliered  against  the  walls. 

Inevitably,  a  great  awakening  would  come  to  artistic  Italy 
with  the  cessation  of  wars,  holy  and  unholy,  and  the  return  of  pros- 
perity to  the  land.  In  those  days  of  marvellous  artistic  activity 
which  we  call  the  Renaissance,  when  men  delved  among  the  ar- 
chives of  their  Roman  ancestors  for  inspiration  in  all  the  arts,  the 
classic  garden  was  rediscovered  with  acclaim.  Restored  in  all 
its  splendour  throughout  Italy,  but  given  new  breadth  and  free- 
dom of  treatment  at  the  hands  of  some  of  the  greatest  artists  of 
all  time,  Michelangelo  and  Raphael  among  them,  the  Italian 
garden  of  Lorenzo  de  Medici's  day  has  become  synonymous  in 
the  artistic  world  with  garden  craft  carried  to  its  highest  degree. 

Where  lies  the  secret  of  its  excellence  ?  Doubtless  in  the  dis- 
covery of  the  landscape.  Heretofore  the  garden  had  been  regarded 
merely  as  a  circumscribed  architectural  extension  of  the  castle  or 
villa,  as  rigidly  formal  as  the  walls  of  a  room.  But  the  master 


36  The  American  Flower  Garden 

architect  of  the  Renaissance,  looking  forth  from  the  terraced  hill- 
side to  the  distant  view,  realised  that  his  art  might  be  fused  with 
nature  in  the  making  of  a  picture  where  the  imagination  would 
enjoy  a  freedom  of  expression  hitherto  unknown.  He  knew,  none 
better,  the  importance  of  adapting  the  garden  to  the  lines  of  the 
house  it  joined  —  so  did  the  Egyptian,  the  Greek,  and  the  Roman. 
He  realised  the  importance  of  adapting  the  garden  in  every  case 
to  the  uses  to  which  it  would  be  put,  providing  accessible,  shady 
paths,  sheltered  resting  places  in  the  most  lovely  spots,  fountains 
to  refresh  the  dweller  in  that  hot,  dry  climate,  and  cascades  down 
the  terraced  hillsides  from  the  overflow  of  the  aqueducts,  bowling 
greens  on  the  tapis  vert,  parterres,  plantations  of  roses  and  fruit 
orchards  for  the  enjoyment  of  his  patron's  family  —  in  the  union 
of  beauty  with  the  practical  he  surpassed  all  his  predecessors.  But 
his  genius  lay  first  in  discovering  that  the  landscape  lying  beyond 
the  house  and  garden  should  be  the  ultimate  goal  of  his  tributary 
art;  and  secondly,  in  seizing  on  the  great  and  varied  beauty  of  the 
Italian  landscape,  and  fitting  it  into  his  design  with  an  art  which 
concealed  itself.  His  scenic  sense  remains  a  marvel. 

Whether  one  studies  the  Villa  Lante  gardens  at  Bagnaia, 
the  incomparably  beautiful  Villa  d'Este  at  Tivoli,  the  superb 
old  estates  at  Frascati,  the  sumptuous  pleasure  grounds  of  the 
prelates  in  Rome  itself  or  the  charmingly  simple  Colonna  garden 
of  flowers  on  a  hill-top  in  the  very  heart  of  the  city,  one  sees 
masterpieces  of  composition  in  the  large  and  in  detail,  calculated 
to  inspire  a  nation  of  painters. 

"  I  can't  abide  Italian  gardens, "  a  young  architect  once  startled 
me  by  saying,  for  he  had  an  uncommonly  artistic  eye. 

"Did  you  ever  see  one  —  a  real  one  in  It^ly  ?"  I  asked. 

"No,  I  have  never  been  there/'  he  frankly  admitted.     "  I  have 

\ 


ONE  OF  THE  BEST  MODERN  AMERICAN  FORMAL  GARDENS,  WHOSE  ARCHITECTURAL  FEATURES 

ONLY   TIME    CAN    MELLOW 


The  Formal  Garden  37 

in  mind  only  American  'Italian  gardens,'  I  am  afraid  —  geometric 
patterns  patched  on  to  the  lawns  of  new  estates,  with  little  clipped 
trees  set  along  the  borders  at  exact  intervals,  and  stiff,  prim  asters  in 
rectangular  beds,  or  a  row  of  urns  on  a  concrete  balustrade  with 
perhaps  a  few  meaningless  relics  of  Italian  sculpture  from  some 
antique  shop  in  New  York,  to  make  the  garden  convincing  of  its 
expense. 

"Apropos,  I  must  tell  you  a  story,"  he  went  on.  "Once  I 
was  dining  in  the  house  of  some  very  rich  people,  where  the  lady 
on  my  right  insisted  upon  talking  about  her  imposing  earthly 
possessions.  Her  Italian  garden,  of  the  type  I  have  described, 
she  dwelt  upon  in  detail,  telling  me  how  much  the  marble  work  had 
cost,  how  expensive  the  topiary  effects  were  to  keep  up,  and  every 
other  painful  particular.  At  last,  unable  to  endure  her  prattle 
about  a  sarcophagus  she  had  decided  to  use  as  a  garden  seat,  I 
surprised  her  by  saying:  "My  wife,  too,  has  an  Italian  garden/ 
'  Indeed  ? '  she  asked  incredulously,  knowing  perfectly  well  that  we 
live  in  a  small  suburban  cottage.  'Yes,'  I  replied;  "it  took  two 
Italians  three  days  to  dig  it.5  Then  she  changed  the  subject." 

In  translating  the  Italian  garden  cult  to  America,  via  England, 
France  and  Holland,  and  after  long  subjugation  there,  the  fun- 
damental principles  of  the  best  formal  garden  making  have  been  so 
far  lost  sight  of  in  the  great  majority  of  cases  that  it  has  become 
well-nigh  a  travesty  to  call  most  of  our  meaningless  imitations 
Italian  gardens  at  all.  It  may  be  claimed  that  Italian  ideals  cannot 
be  translated  into  our  terms;  that  the  garden  magic  of  the  Ren- 
aissance is  dependent  upon  age,  the  peculiarity  of  the  Italian  climate 
and  landscape,  the  wealth  of  deep-toned  evergreens,  the  cheapness 
of  labour,  the  social  usages  of  an  age  of  splendour,  the  Italian  genius 
for  artistic  expression. 


38  The  American  Flower  Garden 

Age  undoubtedly  enhances  the  beauty  of  a  garden  planned  on 
noble  lines,  but  it  can  completely  obliterate  the  poorly  planned 
one  that  is  dependent  upon  constant  care ;  and  after  centuries  the 
best  Italian  gardens  have  preserved  their  charm.  Our  summer 
skies  are  as  blue  as  the  Italian,  and  our  spring  and  summer  climate 
is  not  unlike  that  of  Italy.  We  have  our  choice  of  a  score  of  ever- 
greens and  a  hundred  flowers  for  every  one  that  was  known  to  the 
garden  designers  of  the  sixteenth  century.  Pyramidal  junipers  and 
other  columnar  evergreens  may  be  used  in  the  Eastern  United 
States,  and  the  less  hardy  yews  and  cypresses  in  the  South,  as  the 
tapering  shafts  of  cypress  were  used  in  Italy;  Lombardy  poplars 
thrive  here  as  well  as  there;  retinisporas,  magnolias,  rhododen- 
drons, laurel,  boxwood,  bay,  and  a  host  of  other  possibilities  are 
perfectly  adapted  to  our  needs.  Certainly,  there  is  no  lack  of  wealth 
at  the  disposal  of  American  home-makers,  nor  can  it  be  spent  in  a 
better  way  to  bring  health  and  pleasure  to  a  family  than  upon  a 
garden.  Many  kinds  of  labour-saving  devices,  unknown  in  Europe 
three  centuries  ago,  now  help  to  lessen  the  expense  of  garden- 
making  and  maintenance.  Fountains,  sundials,  garden  seats,  bal- 
ustrades, steps,  and  other  garden  accessories  are  by  no  means 
essential  to  a  lovely  garden,  but  if  one  wants  them,  and  cannot 
afford  stone  or  marble,  excellent  reproductions  in  a  special  prepa- 
ration of  cement  may  be  had  at  a  small  fraction  of  the  cost  of 
classic  models.  Thus  a  man  of  very  moderate  means  may  enjoy 
a  duplicate  of  the  fountain  of  lions  at  the  Vatican ;  and  the  birds 
that  come  from  the  woods  to  his  very  door  to  bathe  in  the  spray 
and  drink  from  the  basin,  where  goldfish  play  hide  and  seek  under 
the  lotus  and  lily  leaves,  show  constant  appreciation  of  his  taste. 

It  is  painfully  true  that  we  Americans,  like  the  English,  are 
too  Teutonic  to  be  an  artistic  people.  Yet  here  and  there  among 


The  Formal  Garden  39 

us  arises  an  artist  capable  of  making  far  more  beautiful  pictures 
on  the  landscape  than  he  is  the  better  content  to  paint  on  canvas; 
and  so  the  limitation  of  art  by  the  artists  themselves  continues  to 
be  a  fruitful  source  of  our  artistic  poverty.  Very  few  excellent 
models  inspire  the  garden  makers  in  this  new  land.  For  nearly 
a  hundred  years  garden  making  went  out  of  fashion.  The  worthy 
formal  gardens  here  can  be  counted  on  the  fingers  of  one  hand. 
But  art  out-of-doors  shows  encouraging  signs  of  waking  from 
its  long  sleep,  and  the  few  really  competent  designers  are  meeting 
with  refreshing  encouragement  at  last. 

Perhaps  it  would  be  as  futile  as  it  is  undesirable  to  servilely 
copy  even  the  best  Renaissance  gardens,  nevertheless  we  may,  with 
the  greatest  profit,  learn  from  them  how  a  house  and  garden  may 
become  an  integral  part  of  the  landscape,  whether  it  be  situated 
in  Italy,  New  England,  Illinois,  or  California,  for  happily  the 
principles  of  their  making  are  of  universal  application.  What 
we  chiefly  need  is  the  informing  spirit;  with  it  alone  shall  we  learn 
how  to  meet  our  problems  as  successfully  as  the  Italians  met  theirs. 
Even  in  Italy  methods  were  necessarily  adapted  to  various  situa- 
tions. The  Roman's  pleasaunce,  overlooking  the  broad  Campagna, 
was  given  a  majestic  breadth  and  simplicity  of  treatment  in  har- 
mony with  its  environment,  whereas,  farther  north,  where  the  land- 
scape is  less  imposing,  compensations  were  offered  in  the  wealth 
of  garden  details.  The  designer  invariably  took  the  cue  for  treat- 
ment of  a  place  from  the  adjoining  landscape.  So  must  we  learn 
of  him. 

A  room  that  is  not  lived  in  never  possesses  the  charm  of  one 
that  is,  however  correctly  furnished  it  may  be.  And  so  our  gar- 
dens will  never  be  what  they  might  easily  become  until  we  make 
of  them  outdoor  living-rooms  after  the  good  Old  World  custom. 


40  The  American  Flower  Garden 

Piazzas,  pleasant  as  they  are,  have  doubtless  retarded  the  adoption 
of  the  custom  here;  so  has  the  tendency  to  do  away  with  walls,  tall 
hedges,  and  screen  planting,  so  exposing  to  the  gaze  of  every 
passer-by  the  intimate  family  life  spent  under  the  open  sky. 

The  Renaissance  garden  maker  planned  the  hedged-in,  vine- 
clad,  walled  enclosures,  sheltered  from  the  winds  and  sun,  for  the 
family's  comfort  and  convenience,  as  carefully  as  he  did  the  rooms 
of  the  dwelling.  Broad  paths  through  pergolas,  arbours  or  wooded 
alleys  led  from  one  subdivision  of  the  garden  to  another,  and  so,  by 
easy  and  almost  imperceptible  transition,  the  formal  lines  nearest 
the  house  flowed  more  freely  and  more  informally  into  the  natural- 
istic the  farther  one  walked  away  from  the  house,  until  the  stroll 
brought  one  out  face  to  face  with  nature  herself.  Here  was 
infinite  variety  in  perfect  unity.  No  "method"  was  despised  by 
the  artist  designer  to  gain  the  end  desired.  The  terraces,  the 
stone  work,  the  fountains,  the  sundial,  the  ilex  walks,  the  parterres, 
the  bowling  green,  the  open  sunny  spaces,  the  shaded  retreats, 
the  rushing  cascades  down  the  hillsides,  the  mirror-like  pools,  the 
groups  of  trees,  the  converging  lines  of  a  straight-hedged  path,  the 
irresistible  invitation  of  a  disappearing  curved  one,  the  distant 
vista  alluring  the  eye  to  the  beauty  of  a  distant  panorama  —  all 
had  a  deeper  harmony  underlying  them  than  the  uninitiated 
observer  could  suspect.  A  glance  at  one  of  the  old  garden  plans 
astonishes  one.  The  design  drawn  on  paper  shows  a  rigid  for- 
mality, perfect  balance  and  intricacy  of  line  comparable  to  Chinese 
fretwork.  The  finished  garden  seems  to  be  a  naturally  perfect 
picture  wherein  the  design  is  frequently  lost  to  sight,  and  one  is 
conscious  only  of  harmony  on  every  hand.  Another  matter  for 
astonishment  to  the  American  is  that  the  beauty  of  a  Renaissance 
garden  may  be  entirely  independent  of  flowers.  These  were 


The  Formal  Garden  41 

used  lavishly  in  many  gardens,  it  is  true,  while  in  others  they  were 
scarcely  necessary  at  all,  and  were  added,  as  Corot  might  have 
added  a  touch  of  colour  to  one  of  his  landscapes,  which,  even  without 
the  pleasing  detail,  would  form  a  well-nigh  faultless  composition. 

Our  simple  democratic  society  has  no  need  of  imitating  the 
great  gardens  of  Italy,  where  Church  and  State  vied  with  each  other 
in  the  splendour  of  their  open-air  functions,  or  the  excessively  formal 
pleasure  grounds  of  the  French  court  to  which  Le  Notre  devoted  his 
genius;  but  it  is  a  mistake  to  assume  that  the  formal  garden  may 
not  serve  our  day  and  generation.  What  are  the  "old-fashioned" 
gardens  around  our  Colonial  homesteads,  with  their  box-edged 
parterres  and  vine-covered  arbours  but  an  evidence  of  the  Italian 
fashion  in  vogue  in  England,  France,  and  Holland  when  our  fore- 
fathers first  came  to  these  shores  ?  We  feel  no  prejudice  against 
our  grandmothers'  formal  gardens  —  quite  the  reverse  —  but  that 
there  is  a  decided  modern  prejudice  against  the  formal  treatment 
for  anything  but  the  large  estates  of  the  newly  rich  Americans 
one  cannot  deny.  Our  Teutonic  blood  prejudices  us,  as  a  people, 
toward  a  more  general  love  for  nature  than  for  art;  our  training, 
derived  from  English  text  books,  inclines  us  toward  the  naturalistic 
method;  and  our  ignorance  of  the  best  examples  of  the  formal 
school,  which  may  scarcely  be  found  outside  of  Italy,  might  easily 
account  for  the  scorn  which  Americans  generally  feel  for  formal 
gardens. 

The  refreshing  truth  is  that  nowhere  so  well  as  on  a  small  place, 
where  the  house  is  the  dominating  object  in  the  home  picture, 
is  the  formal  or  architectural  treatment  of  the  grounds  so  well 
adapted.  How  much  of  the  charm  of  the  simple,  dignified  Colonial 
house,  on  the  elm-lined  village  street  in  New  England  was  due  to 
the  box-hedged  path  leading  directly  from  the  front  gate  to  the 


42  The  American  Flower  Garden 

front  door,  and  the  neat,  trim  parterres  filled  with  flowers  and 
herbs  conveniently  near,  which  preserved  harmony  in  the  yard  of 
the  perfectly  balanced  dwelling!  In  its  modest  way  it  was  as 
satisfying  an  artistic  composition  as  the  Villa  Medici,  for  our 
"Colonial"  architecture,  adapted  after  Palladio,  and  "Colonial" 
gardening  were  twin  children  of  the  Renaissance. 


H    H 


THE  OLD-FASHIONED  GARDEN 


"Pleasures  which  nowhere  else  were  to  be  found 
And  all  Elysium  in  a  plot  o)  ground.1'  —  DRYDEN. 

"The  art  of  gardening  has  its  root  in  man's  enthusiasm  for  the  woodland 
world.  See  how  closely  the  people  of  old  days  must  have  observed  the  sylvan 
sights  of  nature,  the  embroidery  o)  the  meadows,  the  livery  of  the  woods  at  dif- 
ferent seasons,  or  they  would  not  have  been  capable  of  building  up  that  piece  of 
hoarded  loveliness,  the  old-fashioned  English  garden.''  — JOHN  D.  SEDDING. 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE    OLD-FASHIONED    GARDEN 

VOLUNTARY  exiles  in  a  wild  land,  whether   for    con- 
science's sake,  like  the  Puritans  and  Huguenots,  or  for 
the  bettering  of  their  earthly  fortunes,  like  the  Virgin- 
ians and  the  Dutch,  all  the  early  colonists  seem  to  have  brought 
with  them  the  love  of  gardens  so  characteristic  of  the  people  of  the 
Old  World.     Little  packages  of  seed  must  have  been  tucked  away 
among  the  few  indispensables  brought   over  by  the  Pilgrims  in 
the  hold  of  the   Mayflower. 

It  is  good  to  think  of  the  homesick,  lonely  and  overworked 
women  on  the  stern  New  England  coast  comforting  themselves 
with  patches  of  herbs  and  flowers.  The  latter  might  have  been 
concessions  to  sentiment,  but  surely  simples  were  a  necessity  in 
a  primitive  settlement  where  the  good  wife  had  to  rely  solely  upon 
them  in  concocting  doses  for  every  ill  that  flesh  is  heir  to.  She 
felt  compelled  to  keep  an  apothecary  shop  in  her  own  door  yard 
and  follow  George  Herbert's  quaint  advice  to  impecunious  parsons: 
"Know  what  herbs  may  be  used  instead  of  drugs  of  the  same 
nature  ...  for  household  medicines  are  both  more  easy  for 
the  parson's  purse,  and  more  familiar  for  all  men's  bodies.  .  .  . 
As  for  spices,  he  doth  not  only  prefer  home-bred  things  before 
them,  but  condemns  them  for  vanities,  and  so  shuts  them  out  of 
his  family,  esteeming  that  there  is  no  spice  comparable  for  herbs 
to  Rosemary,  Thyme  and  savory  Mints,  and  for  seeds  to  Fennel 
and  Caraway.  Accordingly,  for  salves,  his  wife  seeks  not  the 
city  but  prefers  her  gardens  and  fields  before  all  outlandish  gums/' 

45 


46  The  American  Flower  Garden 

At  this  late  day  one  can  but  pity  the  writhing  children  into 
whom  copious  draughts  of  bitter,  nauseous  teas  were  poured 
every  time  they  took  cold,  while  a  paternal  hand,  as  relentless  as 
that  of  Fate,  held  their  little  noses  until  the  last  drop  was  gulped 
down.  Boneset,  chamomile  and  tansy  tea,  well  steeped,  were 
perennial  agonies  to  children  of  Colonial  days.  Onion  syrup 
and  "stewed  Quaker,"  for  hoarseness  and  sore  throat,  "Saffern" 
tea  for  biliousness,  "sarsaparilla  for  spring  fever,  basil  to  clear  the 
wits  —  these  were  among  the  "potent  medicines"  so  highly 
esteemed  by  Cotton  Mather  and  his  contemporaries,  and  still 
implicitly  relied  on  by  not  a  few  old  women  in  New  England 
villages.  Tansy  must  have  come  over  the  sea  with  some  of  the 
earliest  settlers,  for  it  had  escaped  from  the  gardens  throughout 
the  colonies  and  run  wild  down  the  lanes  very  commonly  when 
Peter  Kalm,  the  Swedish  botanist,  found  it  naturalised  here  in 
1748;  and  by  the  roadsides  leading  to  old  homesteads  we  still 
find  the  shining  yellow  "bitter  buttons,"  now  reckoned  as  an 
American  wild  flower.  The  ox-eye  daisy,  which  whitens  our 
fields,  was  also  imported  for  its  alleged  medicinal  virtues.  Scores 
of  new  plants  were  added  to  that  parterre  of  Nature's  garden  we 
are  pleased  to  call  "ours"  when  runaways  from  our  ancestors' 
garden  patches  reverted  to  wild  ways  in  this  free  country.  The 
hay  used  in  packing  the  colonists'  china  and  other  fragile  importa- 
tions, contained  seeds  of  weeds  and  wild  flowers  that  now  over- 
run the  farmer's  fields.  Plantain  is  sometimes  called  "the  English- 
man's foot." 

To  add  zest  to  the  monotonous  bill  of  fare,  the  Colonial  house- 
keeper occasionally  depended  upon  the  garden  at  her  door.  Sage 
and  thyme  for  the  dressing  of  fowls  and  home-made  sausage,  mint 
for  the  lamb  from  the  home  flock,  caraway  for  the  "seed  cakes" 


The  Old-Fashioned  Garden  47 

that  were  made  for  the  parson's  coming  to  tea,  must  have  been 
grown  in  every  garden  patch.  Dried  bunches  of  herbs  for  kitchen 
use  as  well  as  for  dosing  the  family  or  an  ailing  neighbour,  hung 
from  the  rafters  in  every  well  regulated  attic  during  the  long 
New  England  winters.  It  was  considered  not  indecorous  to  chew 
medicinal  herbs  in  church. 

But  we  like  to  remember  that  the  beautiful  as  well  as  the 
utilitarian  had  a  place  in  the  gardens  of  those  hard  times  that  tried 
men's  souls:  that  hollyhocks  stood  like  cheerful  sentinels  beside 
the  cabin  door  in  the  Plymouth  Plantation  and  Massachusetts 
Bay  Colony;  that  roses  looked  in  at  the  windows  —  probably 
the  sweet  brier  or  eglantine  and  the  striped  York  and  Lancaster 
roses  brought  from  England;  that  gilly  flowers,  "fetherfew"  and 
honesty,  with  its  mother-of-pearl  seed  vessels  for  the  winter  bou- 
quet, grew  freely  among  the  comfortable  variety  of  simples,  vege- 
tables and  pot  herbs  which  the  gossiping  Josselyn  found  about 
the  homes  of  the  Puritans  in  1672  when  he  published  "New  England 
Rarities  Discovered."  Doubtless  most  of  the  "pleasant  flowers 
which  English  ayre  will  permit  to  be  noursed  up/'  as  Parkinson 
quaintly  puts  it,  were  tested  in  American  gardens:  his  favourite 
"daffodils,  fertillaries,  jacinthes,  saffron  flowers,  lilies,  flower- 
deluces,  tulipas,  anemones,  French  cowslips  or  bearseares,  and 
such  other  flowers,  very  beautifull,  delightfull  and  pleasant." 

Not  until  considerable  wealth  had  accumulated  in  the  Northern 
Colonies  and  life  had  become  a  less  severe  struggle,  were  the  New 
England  gardens  formally  laid  out  in  keeping  with  the  modified 
classic  architecture  of  the  finer  houses  —  a  style  we  speak  of  as 
Colonial,  but  which  is  known  in  England  only  as  Georgian.  Such 
gardens  followed  the  fashion  then  in  vogue  in  England,  France, 
and  Holland,  which  was  but  a  modification,  in  each  country,  of 


48  The  American  Flower  Garden 

the  Italian  method.  Reduced  to  a  small  scale,  in  keeping  with 
the  simple  living  of  frugal-minded  Colonials,  the  classic  garden 
here  was  but  a  contraction  of  the  elaborate  design  of  some  European 
estate  into  the  space  of  a  small  door-yard.  It  is  said  that  the 
original  Longfellow  garden  was  laid  out  after  Le  Notre's  designs  for 
the  parterres  at  Versailles.  How  much  of  the  enduring  charm  of 
old  Concord,  Cambridge,  Portsmouth,  Hartford,  Fairfield,  New- 
port, and  Kingston,  among  scores  of  other  New  England  towns, 
was  due  to  their  broad  straight  street  in  the  centre  of  the  original 
village  with  the  formal  planting  of  trees  on  either  side  —  a  single 
or  a  double  row  of  arching  elms  or  maples! 

In  the  good  old  days,  when  every  busy  housekeeper  worked 
awhile  among  her  flowers  each  day,  and,  without  consciousness  of 
cravings  for  capitalised  Art,  nevertheless  achieved  as  much,  per- 
haps, toward  that  end  as  her  modern  sisters  who  spend  the  summer 
on  hotel  piazzas  embroidering  sofa  pillows  or  painting  alleged 
decorations  on  china,  the  garden  was  necessarily  close  to  the  house 
—  usually  in  front  of  it,  next  to  the  village  street.  Time  to  work 
in  the  garden  had  to  be  snatched  from  multitudinous  household 
duties,  for  the  care  of  the  flowers  almost  invariably  devolved 
upon  the  women  of  the  family  who  most  loved  them.  Little 
wonder  that  the  hardy  perennials  or  annuals  that  sow  their  own 
seed  —  plants  that  very  nearly  take  care  of  themselves  —  were 
the  prime  favourites  in  the  old-time  gardens:  fragrant  rose  peonies, 
sweet  Williams,  spicy  little  fringed  pinks,  flaming  poppies,  spires 
of  blue  larkspur,  foxgloves,  deliciously  scented  valerian, 
fraxinella  with  its  penetrating,  aromatic  perfume,  periwinkle, 
hollyhocks,  pansies,  Lancaster  and  York  and  damask  roses,  and 
Canterbury  bells.  Increased  numbers  of  these  popular  favourites 
might  be  relied  upon  to  come  up  year  after  year  until  the  weeds 


The  Old-Fashioned  Garden  49 

themselves  were  fairly  crowded  out.  The  story  goes  that  the 
first  lilacs  seen  in  New  England  were  imported  by  that  gay  young 
scapegrace,  Sir  Harry  Frankland,  for  Agnes  Surriage's  garden. 

Not  the  least  recommendation  of  the  cleanly,  aromatic  box- 
wood that  was  almost  universally  used  for  flower  bed  borders, 
was  the  excellent  place  for  bleaching  homespun  linen  afforded 
by  its  flat  trimmed  top.  Bricks  set  in  herring  bone  pattern  along 
the  box-edged  paths,  or  pebbles  when  the  garden  was  near  the 
sea,  helped  to  clean  the  boots  before  a  foot  passed  the  threshold 
of  the  Puritan  housewife's  spotless  dwelling. 

Although  every  man  of  consequence  in  New  England,  includ- 
ing Governors  Endicott  and  Winthrop,  raised  and  sold  fruit  trees 
and  plants,  comparatively  few  varieties  of  flowers  were  found  in 
the  gardens  before  the  Revolution.  No  one  ventured  into  an 
exclusive  nursery  business  where  neighbourly  women  had  the 
pleasant  custom  of  exchanging  slips  of  favourite  plants,  and  letters 
from  friends  in  England  usually  contained  seeds  that  were  doubly 
welcome,  in  that  they  revived  cherished  memories  of  the  old  home. 
Probably  the  first  commercial  nursery  was  established  by  Robert 
Prince,  at  Flushing,  Long  Island,  about  1730,  and  for  over  a 
century  it  remained  the  most  prominent  one  in  America.  Cater- 
ing to  the  French  Huguenots  settled  there,  who  were  devoted  horti- 
culturists, it  brought  together  the  choicest  trees,  shrubs,  and 
plants  from  abroad,  including  Chinese  magnolias  and  the  cedar 
of  Lebanon.  Probably  more  beautiful  stock  has  gone  forth  from 
the  various  nurseries  at  Flushing  than  from  any  other  single  spot 
in  our  land. 

But  long  before  the  establishment  of  any  nurseries,  the  Dutch 
gardens  had  become  famously  fine.  Ships  of  the  Dutch  East 
India  Company  brought  floral  treasures  from  the  ends  of  the  earth. 


50  The  American  Flower  Garden 

Governor  Peter  Stuyvesant,  who  had  a  large  farm  on  the  "Bou- 
werie"  and  a  garden  about  his  mansion,  White  Hall,  at  the  Bat- 
tery, kept  forty  slaves  at  work  on  his  grounds,  which  apparently 
contained  a  greater  variety  of  foreign  and  native  trees,  shrubs,  and 
flowers  than  any  other  estate  in  old  New  Amsterdam.  Such  an 
estate  was,  of  course,  the  rarest  exception.  The  Colonists  as  a 
rule  were  poor,  hard-working  people  and  their  own  flower  gardeners. 
When  Manhattan  contained  barely  a  thousand  inhabitants,  Adrian 
Van  der  Donck  observed:  "The  flowers  in  general,  which  the 
Netherlanders  have  introduced,  are  the  red  and  white  roses  of 
different  kinds,  the  cornelian  roses  and  stock  roses,  and  those  of 
which  there  were  none  before  in  the  country,  such  as  eglantine, 
several  kinds  of  gilly  flowers,  jenoffelins,  different  varieties  of  fine 
tulips,  crown  imperials,  white  lilies,  the  lily  fritilaria,  anemones, 
baredames,  violets,  marigolds,  summer  sots,  etc.  The  clove  tree 
has  also  been  introduced,  and  there  are  various  indigenous  trees 
that  have  handsome  flowers  which  are  unknown  in  the  Nether- 
lands. We  also  find  there  are  some  flowers  of  native  growth,  as 
for  instance,  sun  flowers,  red  and  yellow  lilies,  mountain  lilies, 
morning  stars,  red,  white  and  yellow  maritofHes  (a  very  sweet 
flower),  several  species  of  bell  flowers,  etc.,  to  which  I  have  not 
given  particular  attention,  but  amateurs  would  hold  them  in  high 
estimation  and  make  them  widely  known."  Gay  gardens,  these, 
of  the  Dutch  vrouws!  Either  some  of  their  old  favourites  are  lost 
forever  or  they  masquerade  under  new  names  on  modern  nursery 
lists,  which,  bewilderingly  long  as  they  are,  mention  no  jenoffe- 
lins, alas,  nor  baredames,  nor  maritofHes. 

The  thrifty  Dutch  particularly  favoured  sunken  gardens 
three  or  four  feet  below  the  level  of  the  lawn  and  enclosed  by  a 
brick  wall  that  served  as  a  wind-break.  Vegetables  so  protected 


The  Old-Fashioned  Garden  51 

matured  earlier  than  in  the  wind-swept  open;  flowers  blossomed 
there  in  greater  perfection  as  the  soil  held  the  moisture  drained 
from  surrounding  land;  and  the  large  area  of  sun-baked  brick 
wall,  against  which  fruit  trees  and  vines  were  espaliered,  forced 
the  pears,  peaches,  plums  and  grapes  to  yield  earlier  fruit  of  extra 
sweetness.  But  while  the  great  advantage  of  a  sunken  garden 
in  flat,  windy  Holland  was  quite  apparent,  the  expense  of  its 
making  was  not  so  easily  justified  here,  and  it  gradually  disappeared. 

With  the  rapid  growth  of  strenuous,  commercial,  New  Amster- 
dam, the  quaint,  formal  Dutch  gardens  of  intricate  patterns  out- 
lined with  box  gave  place  to  warehouses  along  the  river  banks, 
where  comfortable  homes  had  lately  stood,  to  shops  and  residences 
crowded  into  solid  rows.  Even  at  Albany,  where  wealth  and  good 
living  blossomed  forth  in  the  usual  Dutch  manner,  not  many  old 
gardens  now  remain.  But  at  Croton-on-the-Hudson,  the  Van 
Cortlandt  Manor,  built  in  1681,  still  shows  what  a  fine  homestead 
was  like  when  the  Empire  State  was  a  Dutch  province.  Descend- 
ants of  the  original  owners  have  lived  in  the  dignified,  comfortable 
old  house  continuously.  The  present  mistress  delights  in  keeping 
up  the  formal  flower  beds  of  the  upper  garden  and  the  long,  straight 
flower-bordered  walk  where  the  happy  children  of  nine  generations 
have  raced  and  played,  in  preserving  the  noble  trees,  the  velvety 
turf,  the  lovely  old-fashioned  shrubs,  just  as  they  were  in  her  great- 
great-grandfather's  time.  How  rarely  indeed  can  such  a  home 
be  found  anywhere  among  our  restless,  roving  people!  Sentiment 
in  a  garden  is  the  finest  flower  that  grows  there,  after  all. 

Generously  comfortable  living,  which  the  most  orthodox  of 
Friends  did  not  pretend  to  despise,  showed  itself  nowhere  more 
than  in  well-stocked  gardens.  William  Penn,  who  imported  for 
his  followers  fruits,  vegetables  and  flowers  from  the  Old  World, 


52  The  American  Flower  Garden 

encouraged  the  trial  of  many  native  to  the  New.  Around  about 
Philadelphia  there  are  still  extant  a  few  lovely  old  flower  gardens, 
their  circles,  triangles  and  parallelograms  filled  with  gay  flowers 
and  box-bordered  with  scarcely  an  exception.  These,  apart  from 
the  kitchen  garden,  testify  to  "the  pride  of  life"  so  innocently 
fostered  by  the  Friends.  At  the  time  of  the  Revolution  there 
were,  perhaps,  no  finer  gardens  in  the  Colonies  than  were  main- 
tained by  these  worthies.  Doubtless  they  felt  the  influence  of 
John  Bartram,  the  zealous  Quaker  botanist,  who  established  in 
1728  the  first  botanic  garden  in  America,  and  both  through  his 
travels  in  this  country  and  exchanges  with  foreign  horticulturists 
introduced  to  the  Philadelphians,  first  of  all,  the  treasures  of 
his  quest. 

In  a  country  that  then  contained  few  homes  more  imposing 
than  an  Indian  wigwam,  a  few  English  settlers  along  the  James 
River  established  estates  of  enduring  beauty  —  immense  tracts 
of  fertile,  well  cultivated  land  with  a  stately  house  and  garden  on 
the  water  front  within  calling  distance  of  the  private  pier.  Ship- 
loads of  brick  to  build  the  house  and  outbuildings,  exquisitely 
carved  columns,  pilasters,  wainscots,  mantels,  panels,  fan-lights 
and  pediments,  paintings,  silver,  dainty  china,  rich  furniture,  the 
latest  fashions  in  clothes,  old  wine,  and  every  table  luxury  came 
to  the  very  doors  straight  from  England.  Although  nature  did 
so  much  to  adorn  these  Virginia  estates,  their  luxurious  owners 
laid  out  convenient  gardens,  such  as  they  had  been  accustomed 
to  in  the  Mother  Country,  and  humoured  their  wives  and 
daughters'  fancy  by  importing  quantities  of  plants  when  the  ships 
that  had  carried  tobacco  to  London,  came  back  home.  But 
throughout  the  South  during  Colonial  days,  gardens,  like  books, 
among  the  common  people,  were  so  rare  as  to  be  almost  unknown. 


SP 


FRAXINELLA,  THE  FRAGRANT-LEAVED  AND  RESINOUS  GAS  PLANT,  BELOVED  BY  OUR 
GRANDMOTHERS.  THE  FOAMY,  WHITE  " SPIRAEA"  (Astilbe  Japonica)  IN  THE  FOREGROUND, 
ALTHOUGH  COMMONLY  GROWN  UNDER  GLASS,  THRIVES  IN  THE  HARDY  GARDEN 


The  Old-Fashioned  Garden  53 

They  seem  to  have  been  considered  a  luxury  for  a  few  aristocrats 
only.  The  intelligence,  wealth,  and  luxurious  living  ascribed  to 
the  Southern  Colonies  in  the  early  days  have  been  greatly  exagger- 
ated by  our  imaginative  novelists. 

One  may  never  rightly  judge  a  man,  perhaps,  until  he  has 
seen  his  home.  How  one's  admiration  for  George  Washington 
is  increased  by  a  visit  to  Mount  Vernon!  Fresh  respect  for  the 
dignity  and  simple  grandeur  of  his  life  comes  with  an  exploration 
of  the  place  by  the  most  casual  observer.  A  stroll  through  the 
lovely  garden  and  cool  bosquets,  still  affectionately,  reverently 
tended,  brings  one  nearer  to  the  man  and  the  gentle  mistress  of 
his  home,  than  any  amount  of  reading  could  ever  do,  nearer, 
somehow  than  the  house  itself,  which  they  did  not  build;  for  the 
very  trees  that  shaded  them,  the  hedges  too,  that  they  set  out,  the 
boxwood  borders  of  the  paths  they  walked  through,  among  the 
parterres  of  intricate  patterns  which  they  filled  with  their  favourite 
flowers  (whose  lineal  descendants  flourish  there  to-day),  are  still 
alive  —  the  living  expressions  of  George  and  Martha  Washington's 
personalities. 

Although  there  were  many  other  Colonial  gardens  in  Virginia, 
Maryland,  and  the  Carolinas,  whose  charms  have  not  been  wholly 
obliterated  by  time  nor  the  ravages  of  war,  let  us  take  the  well- 
preserved,  familiar  Mount  Vernon  garden,  as  fairly  representative 
of  the  Colonist's  pleasaunce,  to  note  wherein  the  American  type 
differs  from  the  formal  garden  in  vogue  in  Europe  during  the 
eighteenth  century.  On  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  the  terrace 
practically  disappeared  with  the  retaining  walls,  steps,  balus- 
trades and  other  expensive  architectural  features  which  hereto- 
fore had  been  thought  necessary  accompaniments  of  the  Italian 
style.  American  gardens  were,  therefore,  laid  out  on  flat  spaces, 


54  The  American  Flower  Garden 

instead  of  on  hillsides,  as  in  Italy,  or  on  artificial  embankments, 
as  in  France  and  England,  or  in  sunken  enclosures,  as  in  Holland. 
In  the  absence  of  topiary  experts  here  to  trim  specimen  evergreens 
and  hedges  into  the  startling  forms  abhorred  by  Pope,  reliance 
for  decorative  effect  happily  came  to  be  placed  almost  entirely 
upon  flowers.  The  hedge,  which  usually  took  the  place  of  an 
enclosing  wall,  was  never  very  severely  pruned,  although  the  indis- 
pensable boxwood  borders  for  the  parterres  within  the  enclosure 
were  kept  as  neatly  trimmed  here  as  in  the  Old  World.  The 
broadest  garden  paths  were  not  very  wide;  the  narrowest  ones 
allowed  space  for  only  one  person.  It  was  not  considered  good 
designing,  or  planting,  for  any  path  to  be  seen  except  the  one 
that  the  observer  was  standing  on.  Hence  the  garden  patterns 
were  often  as  intricate  as  a  maze;  or,  if  the  design  were  simple, 
tall  growing  flowers  in  the  parterres  might  be  relied  on  to  conceal 
the  opposite  paths. 

To  the  modern  American  the  word  alley  has  every  unpleasant 
association,  but  what  delight  his  English  forebears  took  in  their 
fragrant  shady  walks  through  leafy  tunnels,  the  lovers  of  Eliza- 
bethan literature  well  known.  A  path  that  was  "  quite  over- 
canopied  with  luscious  woodbine"  in  Shakespeare's  day  still  fills 
the  printed  page  with  its  fragrance.  Lord  Bacon,  in  his  oft  quoted 
essay  "Of  Gardens,"  after  enumerating  "the  flowers  and  plants 
that  do  best  perfume  the  air,"  adds:  "But  those  which  perfume 
most  delightfully,  not  passed  by  as  the  rest,  but  being  trodden 
upon  and  crushed  are  three:  that  is,  Burnet,  Wild  Thyme,  and 
Water-Mints.  Therefore  you  are  to  set  out  whole  alleys  of  them 
to  have  the  pleasure  when  you  walk  or  tread." 

These  charming  green  alleyways,  frequently  paved  or  bordered 
with  fragrant  herbs,  were  familiar  to  every  well  born  French  and 


The  Old-Fashioned  Garden  55 

English  Colonist  in  his  old  home,  but  life  on  an  unsubdued  continent 
was  much  too  work-a-day  for  such  refinements  except  on  a  few 
estates  of  the  wealthy.  Pleached  (braided)  alleys  were,  however, 
attempted  here  with  various  trees  —  with  holly,  which  promptly 
failed,  then  with  apple  and  pear  trees  and  cedars,  which  succeeded. 
By  planting  two  rows  of  young  trees  opposite  each  other  on  either 
side  of  a  path,  bending  the  tops  toward  the  centre  and  interlacing 
the  branches  where  they  met  overhead,  a  series  of  symmetrical 
arches  was  formed  on  artificial  supports  at  the  outset.  After  a  few 
years  of  pruning  and  interweaving  the  arches  united  into  a  leafy 
tunnel-shaped  network.  How  deliciously  cool  were  these  verdant, 
pleached  alleys  on  a  hot  day!  Little  wonder  that  they  were  an 
almost  indispensable  feature  in  the  gardens  of  sunny  Italy. 

But  vine-covered  latticed  arbours  required  less  time  to  make 
and  care  for,  and  the  hard  worked,  practical  Colonist  perceived 
that  he  might  shade  a  walk  by  growing  grapes  over  it.  Beauty 
came  to  mean  less  and  less  for  its  own  sake,  without  an  ultimate 
utilitarian  purpose,  the  farther  time  removed  him  and  his  wife 
from  the  culture  of  the  Old  World.  However,  the  pleached  walk 
was  too  beautiful  a  garden  feature  to  become  extinct.  On  the  Lee 
estate,  at  Brookline,  there  is  an  alley  of  hornbeam  trees,  two  hun- 
dred feet  long  and  twelve  feet  wide.  Another,  on  the  Lorrillard 
place,  at  Tuxedo,  is  made  of  Judas  trees,  whose  slender 
branches  are  etched  by  the  sunlight  in  a  delicate  tracery  on 
the  path  below. 

Although  formal  in  character,  the  Colonial  garden  was  not 
always  perfectly  regular,  yet  any  departure  from  a  balanced, 
symmetrical  plan  was  the  exception  rather  than  the  rule.  Never- 
theless, when  the  garden  overflowed  with  flowers,  all  outlines  be- 
came softened  and  subdued,  if  not  obliterated.  Only  an  underlying 


56  The  American  Flower  Garden 

formality,  however,  would  have  produced  the  harmonious  effect 
of  the  whole. 

The  favourite  design  in  the  Colonies  North  and  South,  was 
a  great  wheel  with  a  fountain,  a  sundial  or  a  bushy  boxwood 
specimen  in  the  centre  of  the  circular  garden  where  the  hub 
should  be,  and  radiating  paths,  like  spokes,  marking  off  the 
box-bordered  parterres,  and  a  hedge  encircling  the  whole  like  a 
tire.  On  a  hilltop  screened  from  public  gaze,  but  in  the  very 
heart  of  Rome,  may  be  found  at  the  present  day,  just  such  a  wheel 
filled  with  flowers  reflected  in  the  pool  at  the  centre  —  the  charm- 
ingly simple  little  Colonna  garden,  which  might  just  as  fittingly 
adjoin  a  Georgian  house  in  the  Colonies.  Italian  ideas  of  garden 
making  had  thoroughly  permeated  Europe  when  the  Colonists 
began  to  "build  stately"  and  to  "garden  finely"  on  this  side  of  the 
sea;  but  it  is  France,  not  Italy,  that  receives  the  credit  for  the 
influence  upon  our  garden  designs.  Le  Notre's  work  was 
familiar  to  all  intelligent  men.  L'Enfant's  splendid  design  for 
laying  out  the  nation's  new  capitol  was  one  of  Washington's 
cherished  ideals  frustrated  by  a  parsimonious  Congress,  even  to 
this  day.  To  the  Marquis  de  Geradin,  Jefferson  was  indebted 
for  much  help  in  planning  Monticello  and  the  beautiful  University 
of  Virginia;  yet  Italy  had  taught  these  Frenchmen,  either  directly 
or  indirectly,  all  they  knew. 

THE   BEST  SURVIVORS   OF  OLD-FASHIONED  GARDEN   FLOWERS 

NOTE. — The  flowering  time  is  given  approximately  for  the  neighbourhood  of  New 
York,  and  will  be  somewhat  earlier  or  later  to  the  South  or  North. 

ASTER,  CHINA  (Callistephus  hortensis).  Single,  white  and  red  introduced 
1731;  blue,  1736;  double  red  and  blue,  1752;  white  1753.  More 
modern  improvements  of  forms  and  colours  than  any  other  annual 
of  the  daisy  family.  Annual;  July  to  September;  ij  feet.  Does 
best  when  sown  in  the  open. 


The  Old-Fashioned  Garden  57 

BACHELORS'  BUTTONS.  A  name  applied  to  many  small  globose,  double, 
button-like  flowers,  such  as  CORNFLOWER,  RANUNCULUS  or  FAIR 
MAIDES  OF  FRANCE,  GLOBE  AMARANTH  (which  see). 

BALSAM,  SOMERSET,  SOMER-SOTS,  LADY'S  SLIPPER  (Impatiens  balsamind). 
White,  rose,  red,  and  purplish.  Double  flowers  from  July  to  frost. 
Pods  snap  open  and  seeds  turn  somersaults  before  flying  out.  Favour- 
ite toy  of  children.  Likes  moist  ground.  Annual;  2  feet.  Introduced 
from  India. 

BELLFLOWER.  See  CANTERBURY  BELLS  below,  and  list  of  HERBACEOUS 
PERENNIALS. 

BLUEBELL.     See  HAREBELL. 

CANDYTUFT  (I  her  is  sempervirens).  Best  perennial  candytuft  for  rockery 
or  border;  6  to  8  inches;  evergreen.  White  flowers  in  long 

racemes;  clusters  flattish  at  first.  June.  ,  COLOURED  (7.  umbel- 

laid).  Dark  purple,  purple,  carmine,  rose,  lilac,  flesh,  and  white. 

Flower  clusters  always  remain  flat.  ,  ROCKET  (/.  amara). 

White,  like  sweet  alyssum,  but  not  fragrant,  and  larger.  Good  for 
rockery  or  border.  Common  white  candytuft.  Clusters  elongate 
in  fruiting. 

CANTERBURY  BELLS,  BELLFLOWER  (Campanula  Medium).  Oldest  and 
most  popular  of  all  campanulas.  Blue,  violet,  pink,  or  white  bell- 
shaped  flowers,  one  and  one-half  inches  across.  June;  2  to  2|  feet; 
biennial.  Sow  August  to  October  in  frames  for  flowers  the  next 
year. 

CARNATIONS,  BORDER  (Dianthus  Caryophyllus).  Pink,  white.  August; 
I  to  2  feet.  Giant  Marguerite  blooms  in  twelve  weeks  from  seed; 
Chabaud's  Perpetual  in  six  months,  and  will  stand  over  winter, 
blooming  next  spring  also.  Give  porous,  gritty,  well-drained  soil. 

CATCHFLY,  GERMAN  (Lychnis  Viscarid).  Red  flowers  one-half  inch 
across  in  opposite  short-stalked  clusters.  Petals  two-notched. 
Sticky  patches  beneath  flowers  said  to  catch  ants.  Tufted  plant. 
Annual;  6  to  20  inches. 

CHRYSANTHEMUM,  ANNUAL  (Chrysanthemum  coronarium).  Yellow. 
Gives  yellow  buttons  one-half  inch  across  from  July  to  frost.  Doubt- 
less what  the  Boston  seedswoman  of  1760  meant  by  "Chrysanthe- 
mum." White  chrysanthemum  listed  in  Boston,  1760,  could  hardly 
have  been  the  perennial  flower  so  common  to-day. 


58  The  American  Flower  Garden 

CORNFLOWER,  RAGGED  SAILOR,  BACHELORS'  BUTTONS  (Centaurea 
Cyanus).  Pure  blue,  singularly  fringed  trumpets,  borne  in  thistle- 
like  heads.  In  single  varieties  only.  Also,  white,  pink,  wine-col- 
oured, lilac,  and  purple.  Annual;  2  feet. 

CROWN  IMPERIAL  (Fritillaria  imperialis).  Has  a  circle  of  pendant 
brown-red  flowers  each  one  and  one-half  inches  long,  topped  by 
a  tuft  of  leaves.  Plant  has  onion-like  odour.  Put  bulb  six  inches 
deep  in  rich  soil  having  manure  below  that.  Perennial;  3  feet. 

DAFFODIL  (Narcissus  Pseudo-Narcissus).  Yellow.  April,  May;  ijfeet. 
The  old  trumpet  daffodil,  single  or  double  Van  Sion.  Very  effective 

when  naturalised.  ,  QUEEN  ANNE'S  DOUBLE  (N.  Capax- 

plenus),  pale  yellow.  The  Jonquil  is  a  round-leaved  narcissus, 
I  foot  high,  with  rich  yellow  flowers  less  than  an  inch  across; 
extremely  fragrant. 

DAISY,  ENGLISH  (Bellis  perennis).  Pink  and  white.  April,  May. 
A  rosette  with  flowers  on  three-inch  stalks,  making  buttons  about 
one  inch  across.  This  and  the  pansy  best  bedding  plants  April  to 
May.  After  blooming  in  beds  transplant  for  naturalising  in  moist, 
partially  shaded  spot. 

DAME'S  ROCKET,  SWEET  ROCKET  (Hes peris  matronalis).     See  ROCKET. 

DAY  LILY,  LEMON  (Hemerocallis  flava).  Yellow  trumpets,  4  inches 
long,  borne  in  loose  clusters  on  stems  4  feet  high.  Grass-like 
foliage,  3  to  4  feet  long,  arching.  Divide  clumps  every  four  or 
five  years.  The  lemon  day  lily  is  one  of  the  oldest  garden 
favourites,  and  has  become  naturalised  in  some  places.  Flowers 

in  June;  fragrant.  ,  ORANGE  (H.  fulva),  not  fragrant;  July, 

August;  there  is  a  double  form  of  this.  Both  are  absolutely  hardy. 
(See  also  PLANTAIN  LILY.) 

FAIR  MAIDES  OF  FRANCE,  FAIR  MAIDES  OF  KENT,  WHITE  BACHELORS' 
BUTTONS  (Ranunculus  aconittfolius).  White  buttons  one  inch 
across,  freely  produced  in  May,  June;  6  inches  to  3  feet.  The  yellow 
ranunculus,  or  buttercup,  once  grown  in  gardens,  is  now  a  naturalised 
wild  flower;  the  double  form  is  the  yellow  bachelors'  buttons. 

FEVERFEW  (Chrysanthemum  Parthenium).  White  buttons  about  three- 
quarters  of  an  inch  across.  Foliage  yellow,  with  characteristic 
strong,  bitter  odour.  Old  favourite  for  edging.  The  single  (wild) 
kind,  like  a  small  ox-eye  daisy,  was  cultivated  in  old  physic  gardens. 


The  Old-Fashioned  Garden  59 

,  GOLDEN  FEATHER  (C.  prcealtum,  var.  aureum).  Yellow- 
leaved  kind  used  for  edging,  a  closely  related  species.  Perennial. 

FLOWER-DE-LUCE.     See  IRIS. 

FoRGET-ME-NoT  (Myosotts  alpestris).  Small  blue  flowers  in  racemes. 
June  and  all  summer;  6  inches.  Better  adapted  for  summer  bloom 
than  the  common  forget-me-not,  being  suited  to  a  dry  soil.  Also 
summer  bloomer,  with  longer  flowers  and  fragrant  in  the  evening. 

FOUR  O'CLOCK,  MARVEL  OF  PERU  (Mirabilis^alapd).  Tuberous,  tender 
perennial;  also  grown  as  an  annual.  Bright  shades  of  red,  yellow, 
striped,  and  white;  long-tubed,  funnel-shaped  flowers  that  open  in 
cloudy  weather,  early  morning  and  late  afternoon.  2j  feet  high. 
Start  indoors  in  March. 

FOXGLOVE  (Digitalis  pur  pur  ea).  Purplish  pink,  white.  June;  3  to  4 
feet.  Large,  thimble-shaped  flowers  two  inches  long,  in  long  spikes 
on  long  stems.  Most  refined  white  form  is  var.  gloxini<zflora  alba. 
Splendid  for  bold  effects.  Biennial,  but  August-sown  seeds  will 

flower  late  the  next  year.     ,  YELLOW  (D.  ambigua).     Yellowish 

flowers,  i  \  inches  long,  spotted  dark  red  inside.  Ranks  next  to  the 
common  foxglove. 

FRAXINELLA.     See  GAS  PLANT. 

FRITILLARY,  SNAKE'S  HEAD,  GUINEA-HEN  FLOWER,  CHECKER  LILY 
(Fritillaria  Meleagris).  Tessellated  green  and  purple  nodding 
flowers,  one  inch  across,  borne  singly  on  six-inch  stems.  May. 
Moist  soil. 

GARDEN  HELIOTROPE.     See  VALERIAN. 

GAS  PLANT,  FRAXINELLA  (Dictamnus  albus).  White,  with  pinkish 
purple  variety.  June;  2  feet.  Whole  plant  lemon  scented.  Long 
lived.  White  variety  prettier  than  rose-flowered,  but  less  hardy.  Will 
flash  at  dusk,  on  still  summer  eve,  if  a  lighted  match  is  brought  near. 

GLOBE  AMARANTH  (Gomphrena  globosa).  Everlasting;  purple,  pinkish, 
white,  or  golden  buttons  borne  well  above  the  bush.  India  1714. 
Sometimes  called  Bachelors'  Buttons.  Annual;  ij  feet  or  less. 

HAREBELL,  BLUEBELL  (Campanula  rotund  if  olio).  Dainty  purple  bells 
half  an  inch  across,  on  slender  stems  6  inches  long.  Blooms  more 
or  less  all  the  season  in  a  moist,  loose,  shady  spot.  Frequently 
escaped  from  cultivation  and  now  reckoned  a  wild  flower.  The 


6o 


The  American  Flower  Garden 


true  bluebells  of  Scotland.     Another  "bluebell"  that  grows  wild  in 
British  woods  is  S cilia  festalis,  or  S.  nutans,  a  sort  of  wood  hyacinth. 

HEARTSEASE.     See  PANSY. 

HOLLYHOCK  (Althaa  rosed).  Rose,  pink,  white,  pale  yellow,  and 
madder  purple.  Single  and  double.  On  stalk  4  to  6  feet  high. 
Individuals  four  inches  across.  Biennial,  but  makes  offsets.  Rich 
soil.  One  of  the  best  tall  herbaceous  plants,  but  subject  to  disease. 
Spray  with  ammoniacal  copper  carbonate  early  in  season.  Sow  in 
August  in  drills. 

HYACINTH  (Hyacinthus  oriental!  s).  White,  shades  of  blue,  red,  and 
pale  creamy  yellow;  9  inches.  April.  Buy  the  modern  varieties, 
as  they  have  entirely  displaced  the  old  ones  which  had  fewer  flowers 
to  a  stalk.  Plant  the  bulbs  in  fall  well  before  the  frost,  in  raised 
beds  and  in  masses  of  one  colour. 

HYACINTH,  GRAPE  (Muscari  botryoides).  Dense  heads  of  small  blue 
flowers  on  stalks  4  to  6  inches  long;  April.  Effective  for  window  or 
shrubbery  or  in  border.  Hardy.  Will  endure  shade  after  flowering 
period. 

IMMORTELLE  (Xeranthemum  annuuni).  Purple,  yellow,  white.  Large 
daisy-like  heads.  Annual.  July,  August;  2  feet.  Showy  part  is 
the  stiff  bracts;  as  cut  flowers  they  last  all  winter.  Sow  outdoors 
in  spring,  or  start  in  heat  for  flowers  in  early  summer. 

IRIS,  FLEUR-DE-LIS,  FLOWER-DE-LUCE  (Iris  hybrids).  The  so-called 
German  irises  are  among  the  most  showy  and  satisfactory  plants 
of  old  gardens,  having  great  range  of  colours  from  blue  to  white 
and  yellow,  with  purple  brownish  fringes.  3  feet;  May,  June. 
Will  grow  in  any  average  soil,  the  clumps  extending  by  creeping 
rhizomes.  When  planting,  be  careful  not  to  bury  the  rhizome 

more  than  one-half.     ,  ENGLISH  (/.  Anglicd).     Probably  the 

oldest  iris  in  cultivation.     A  bulbous  kind;  white,  purple;  June  to 
July.    Average  rich  soil  moderately  dry.    Foliage  appears  in  spring. 

JOHNNY- JUMP-UP.     See  PANSY. 

LADIES'  DELIGHT.     See  PANSY. 

LARKSPUR  (Delphinium  grandiflorum,  D.  formosum,  D.  elatuni).  Deep 
indigo  blue  and  lighter  shades  to  white.  In  long  spikes.  Perennial. 
June,  July;  2  to  5  feet.  Attractive  leaves  on  long  stems.  Blooms 
again  in  the  fall  if  first  flowers  are  cut.  Best  of  blue  flowers  for 


The  Old- Fashioned  Garden  61 

border  use.  Improved  varieties  live  only  three  or  four  years  in 
America,  being  subject  to  blight.  Dig  dry  Bordeaux  about  crowns 
or  spray  weekly  with  ammoniacal  carbonate  of  copper.  Modern 

hybrids    great   improvement   over   original   stock.     ,  ANNUAL 

(D.  A  lads).     Same  colours.    May  to  August;  2  feet. 

LILY,  ANNUNCIATION,  ST.  JOSEPH'S  (L.  candldum).  The  oldest  culti- 
vated of  all  the  lilies;  quite  hardy.  May,  June;  up  to  6  feet,  bearing 
spikes  of  pure  white  flowers,  individually  four  to  six  inches  across. 
Extremely  fragrant.  Bulbs  must  be  planted  in  August,  as  growth 
begins  immediately.  In  order  to  prevent  soiling  of  the  flowers  by 
the  pollen,  pull  off  the  anthers  when  the  flower  is  half  expanded. 

Will  grow  in  any  good  garden  soil  that  is  not  water-logged.     , 

BLACKBERRY,  LEOPARD  FLOWER  (Belemcanda  Chinensis).  Orange 
spotted  with  red.  June;  2  to  3  feet.  Seeds  like  blackberries. 
Escaped  from  old  gardens.  Sandy  loam  in  sunny  place.  Formerly 

used   for  winter   bouquets  with    grasses    and   everlastings.     , 

ST.  BERNARD'S  (Anthericum  Liliago).  Graceful  raceme  of  ten 
to  twenty  white  lily-like  flowers,  each  one  inch  across.  May, 
June;  I  foot.  Has  tuber-like  rhizomes,  and  propagates  by  run- 
ners. Moist,  partially  shaded  situation.  Cover  in  winter.  , 

ST.  BRUNO'S  (Paradisea  Liliastrum,  Anthericum  Liliastrum). 
White  lily-like  flowers,  eight  to  ten  on  a  stem.  June;  I  to  2  feet. 
Taller  than  St.  Bernard's  lily,  and  has  fewer,  larger  flowers. 
(See  also  DAY  LILY,  PLANTAIN  LILY,  etc.) 

LILY-OF-THE- VALLEY  (Convallaria  majalis).  May;  9  inches.  Fragrant, 
pendulous  white  bells,  one-third  of  an  inch  across,  in  an  arching 
raceme  of  utmost  grace.  Wants  partial  shade  and  deep,  rich  soil. 

LONDON  PRIDE,  NONE-SO-PRETTY,  ST.  PATRICK'S  CABBAGE  (Saxifraga 
umbrosd).  Evergreen  edging  plant,  4  inches  high.  White  flowers 
in  summer  on  foot-long  stalks;  one-half  inch  across,  sometimes 
dotted  red.  Will  thrive  in  cold  shade  of  walls  where  few  other 
things  will  live.  Perennial.  (See  also  RAGGED  ROBIN.) 

LOVE-IN- A- MIST  (Nigella  Damascend).  Blue  and  white  flowers  followed 
by  weird  pods  amid  finely  cut  fennel-like  foliage.  Annual;  June, 
July;  2  feet. 

LUPIN,  HAIRY  (Lupinus  hirsutus).  Purple,  rose,  white.  July,  August; 
3  feet.  Largest  flowered,  self-coloured  annual  lupin  in  colours. 


62  The  American  Flower  Garden 

A  robust,  hairy  plant.  "Large  blue  lupine,"  listed  in  Boston,  1760. 

,  YELLOW  (Lupinus  luteus).  Yellow.  June,  July;  2  feet.  Best 

lupin  for  garden  bloom.  Lupines  have  whorled  cut  leaves  and  pea- 
shaped  flowers  carried  erect  in  grape-like  clusters.  Improves 
poorest  soil. 

MALTESE  CROSS  (Lychnis  Chalcedonica).  Scarlet  flowers,  the  four 
petals  with  squared  ends  like  a  Maltese  cross.  An  old-world 
favourite,  possibly  a  hybrid  of  long  ago.  June;  2  to  3  feet;  perennial. 
Also  pink  and  white  forms. 

MIGNONETTE  (Reseda  odorata).  Red,  white  and  yellow,  finely  cut  flowers 
borne  in  a  dense  spike,  but  otherwise  not  conspicuous.  June  to 
October;  9  inches.  Egypt,  1752.  Most  popular  flower  grown  solely 
for  fragrance.  Resents  transplanting,  and  is  subject  to  parsley  worm. 

MULLEIN  PINK,  ROSE  CAMPION  (Lychnis  coronarid).  Whitish,  woolly 
foliage  and  glowing  rose-crimson  circular  flowers  one  and  one-half 
inches  across,  borne  singly  on  ends  of  branches.  I  to  2j  feet; 
biennial  or  perennial.  Good  for  bedding. 

MYRTLE  (Vinca  minor).  Evergreen  trailing  vine  with  dark-green  shiny 
leaves.  Invaluable  for  covering  the  ground  in  shaded  places  where 
grass  will  not  grow.  Flowers  of  rich  blue  in  summer,  one  inch  across. 

PANSY,  HEARTSEASE,  JOHNNY-JUMP-UP,  LADIES'  DELIGHT  (Viola 
tricolor).  The  wonderful  range  of  colours,  the  velvety  texture  of  the 
dark  ones,  and  the  quantity  of  flowers  make  this  a  universal  favourite. 
Self-coloured  pansies  would  be  anachronistic  in  a  real  Colonial 
garden.  Gives  scattering  bloom  in  summer  if  sown  in  spring,  but 
best  flowers  produced  in  spring  from  August-sown  seed.  Rich, 
moist  soil.  Keep  flowers  picked;  they  deteriorate  if  seed  forms. 

PEONY  (Pceonia  officinalis).  The  most  showy,  largest-flowered  plant 
for  the  herbaceous  garden.  May  and  June;  3  feet  high,  bearing 

only  one  flower  to  a  stem.     Dark  crimson. ,  (P.  albiflora). 

From  white  through  rose  and  magenta  to  crimson.  June;  i\  feet. 
Largest  double-flowered  hardy  perennial.  Favourite  varieties: 
White,  Alba  Sulphurea,  Duke  of  Wellington,  Festiva  Maxima; 
Blush,  Delicatissima,  Humei  Carnea;  Rose,  Czarina;  Crimson, 
Victoire  Modeste  Guerin.  Shift  peonies  September  to  October. 
Divide  every  six  years.  Deep,  rich,  well-drained  soil,  with  plenty 
of  moisture. 


POET'S  NARCISSUS  NATURALISED  ALONG  AN  OPEN  WOODLAND  WALK,  WHERE  THEY  REQUIRE 
ABSOLUTELY  NO  CARE.     A  THOUSAND  BULBS  COST  LESS  THAN  FIFTY  CIGARS 


The  Old-Fashioned  Garden  63 

PHLOX,  PERENNIAL  (P.  paniculatd).  The  brightest  and  most  varied 
range  of  colours  in  any  hardy  perennial.  Peculiarly  appropriate, 
since  it  is  a  native.  Now  to  be  had  in  white,  pink,  scarlet,  mauve, 
and  various  combinations.  Thrives  anywhere.  Propagate  by 
seed,  cuttings,  or  division.  Five  feet  or  less  according  to  will. 
Give  water  in  summer.  By  cutting  back  can  be  made  to 
flower  any  time.  Miss  Lingard,  best  modern  white  variety  for 
general  use. 

PINK,  CHINESE,  SNOW,  OR  STAR  (Dianthus  Chinensis).  Prettiest 
annual  variegated  flowers  of  the  pink  family.  Introduced  about 
1713.  Had  been  highly  developed  in  the  Far  East.  Seeds  best 
started  indoors  in  March.  Excellent  for  edgings.  Single  or  slightly 
double.  A  fragrant  fringe  along  old  garden  paths.  June;  i  foot. 

,  GARDEN,  SCOTCH,  GRASS,  PHEASANTS'  EYE  (D.  plumarius). 

Blooms  in  spring  and  early  summer;  i  foot.  Fragrant  fringed  flower, 
originally  pink  or  purplish,  the  petals  fringed  for  about  one-fourth 
their  length.  Needs  perfect  drainage,  and  is  likely  to  die  in  winter 

if  grown  on  a  level.  ,  FRINGED  (D.  superbus).  Summer 

and  early  autumn;  I  foot.  Petals  lilac,  fringed  for  more  than 
half  their  length.  Winter  kills  in  rich  soil.  Prefers  plenty  of  sand 

and  grit.  Easily  raised  from  seed.  ,  MAIDEN  (D.  deltoldes). 

Small,  one-half  to  three-quarters  of  an  inch  across,  deep-red  flowers, 
with  notched  petals  and  a  dark  crimson  eye.  Spring  and  early 
summer;  I  foot.  Easiest  of  the  small-flowered  species  of  Dianthus 
for  level-ground  cultivation,  forming  a  perfect  mat.  Does  not  suffer 
from  wire  worms.  (See  also  CARNATION.) 

PLANTAIN  LILY,  WHITE  (Funkla  subcordata).  ,  BLUE  (F.  ovata). 

Often  erroneously  confused  with  the  day  lily  (Hemerocallis).  July, 
August,  September;  2  feet.  Leaves  broad,  ribbed  like  the  common 
plantain,  but  eighteen  inches  long.  Begins  growth  early  in  the 
spring;  multiplies  freely,  making  large  clusters,  perfectly  hardy. 
Will  naturalise  in  moderately  rich,  partly  shaded  places.  Variegated 
forms.  Flowers  four  to  six  inches  long  in  loose  racemes  carried 
well  above  the  foliage. 

POPPY,  CORN  (Papaver  Rhceas).  Scarlet  with  black  spot.  Summer;  I  foot. 
Gorgeous  weed  that  glorifies  the  grainfields  of  Europe.  Parent 
of  Shirley  poppy.  Sow  where  intended  to  flower;  poppies  will  not 
generally  bear  transplanting.  ,  OPIUM  (Papaver  somniferum). 


64  The  American  Flower  Garden 

White,  dull  purple,  red,  single  and  double,  five  inches  across. 
Nodding  buds.  Glaucous  foliage.  A  most  gorgeous  annual; 
3  feet.  Allow  one  foot  space  to  each  plant. 

PYRETHRUM  (Chrysanthemum  coccineum).  Crimson,  magenta,  rose, 
white,  daisy-like,  single  and  double.  June  to  July;  3  feet.  Must 
have  perfect  drainage  to  avoid  crown  rot,  especially  in  winter.  If 
foliage  rots  in  summer  after  heavy  rains,  cut  some  away. 

RAGGED  ROBIN,  LONDON  PRIDE  (Lychnis  Flos-cuculi).  Double  red  or 
rosy  flowers,  the  petals  cut  in  four  strips.  Perennial;  blooming 
all  summer;  I  to  2  feet.  "Flos-cuculi"  means  cuckoo  flower. 
Very  common  in  old  gardens  and  now  naturalised. ,  EVER- 
BLOOMING  (L.  Flos-cuculi,  var.  plenissima).  Has  extraordinary 
number  of  flowers  over  exceptionally  long  season;  lasts  a  long  time 
when  cut. 

RAGGED  SAILOR.     See  CORNFLOWER. 

ROCKET,  SWEET  ROCKET,  DAME'S  ROCKET  (Hesperis  matronalts). 
Magenta,  mauve,  or  white.  July;  3  feet.  Long  spikes  of  small 
four-petalled  flowers  which  are  most  fragrant  at  evening.  Select 
a  plant  with  good  lavender  colour  and  propagate  that,  or  plant  the 
white  kind.  Double  forms.  Perennial. 

ROSE  CAMPION.     See  MULLEIN  PINK. 

ROSE  OF  HEAVEN  (Lychnis  Cceli-rosa).  Rosy  flowers  one  inch  across  all 
summer.  Petals  slightly  notched;  eyed,  fimbriated  and  white  vari- 
eties also.  Annual;  I  to  I J  feet.  Very  floriferous.  Likes  sun. 

ROSES  of  various  sorts  generally  referred  to  as  "old-fashioned"  or 
"garden."  These  include  the  hundred-leaved  (Rosa  centifolia), 
damask  (R.  Damascena),  the  Pink  Daily  and  the  Old  Cabbage, 
and  the  York  and  Lancaster  with  flowers  sometimes  all  red  or  all 
white,  or  parti-coloured;  also  the  Persian  brier  for  its  yellow  flowers. 
All  these  do  well  anywhere,  in  good  garden  soil,  flowering  in  June. 
The  fragrant  leaved  sweetbrier  or  eglantine  (R.  rubiginosa)  ekes 
out  a  struggling  existence.  It  should  be  raised  from  seed  sown 
in  the  fall.  None  of  the  all-summer  bloomers  having  tea  blood  are 
admissible  to  the  old-fashioned  garden. 

SWEET  WILLIAM  (Dianthus  barbatus).  One  of  the  oldest  garden  flowers, 
and  now  run  wild.  Single  and  double.  Flowers  in  dense,  flat  head, 
fragrant,  various  colours,  chiefly  red  or  reddish  and  white  or  pink. 


The  Old-Fashioned  Garden  65 

Grown  from  cuttings  or  seed,  flowering  the  second  year.     July, 

August;  I  foot;     Rich  soil. 
TEN   WEEKS'   STOCK   (Matthiola   incana^  var.   annua).     Clove-scented 

spikes  of  white,  creamy,  pinkish,  or  crimson  flowers.     Annual;  ij 

feet;  May  to  July.     Sow  in  rich,  warm  soil,  and  transplant. 
TULIP    (Tulipa  suaveolens).     Parent  of  the   small,   early,  and  forcing 

Due  Van  Thol  varieties,  and  was  known  in  red  and  yellow.     T. 

Gesneriana,  the  showy  scarlet,  later  garden  tulip,  with  pointed  petals, 

also  varieties  of  this  type.     Plant  in  masses  of  one  colour  in  fall  for 

spring  flower.     Shallow  rooting  annuals  may  occupy  same  bed  at 

same  time. 
VALERIAN,  GARDEN  HELIOTROPE  (Valeriana  offictnalts).     June;  3  feet. 

Minute  pinkish-gray  flowers   in  flat  clusters,  three  inches  across. 

Very  easy  to  grow.     Spreads  rapidly.     Spicy  odour  scents  a  whole 

garden.     Perennial. 
VERONICA,  LONG-LEAVED  (Veronica  longi folia).     Minute  lilac  flowers  in 

long,  narrow  spikes.     July  to  September;  2  to  3  feet.     Often  sold  as 

y.  spicata.     Its  purple-blue  variety,  subsessilis  (Japan,  1871),  is  the 

best  of  all  hardy  veronicas,  and  is  more  robust  than  the  type.     Can 

be  used  instead. 
VIOLET    (Viola    odorata).     Violet.     March;    6    inches.     Only   fragrant 

perennial  of  earliest  spring.     California  is  a  large  single  variety. 

The   Russian   is   double   and   hardier  than   common   sorts.     Get 

nursery-grown  plants.     Grow  in  the  shade. 
WALLFLOWER    (Cheiranthus    Cheiri).     Yellow,    red,    brown,    fragrant 

flowers,  in  spike  six  to  twelve  inches  long.     Biennial.     Blooms  all 

summer  in  partial  shade  if  not  allowed  to  seed;  2  feet.     Must  not 

dry  out. 

NOTE. —  For  the  greater  part  of  the  facts  contained  in  the  above  list  credit  is  due  to 
Mr.  Wilhelm  Miller. 


THE  NATURALISTIC  GARDEN 


"A  dressed  garden  is  Nature  idealised  —  pastoral  scenery  put  fancifully 
in  man's  way.  A  gardener  is  a  master  of  what  a  French  writer  calls  '  the  charm- 
ing art  of  touching  up  the  truth.'  "  —  JOHN  D.  SEDDINQ. 


CHAPTER  V 

THE    NATURALISTIC    GARDEN 

WHEN    we    commit   ourselves   to   any    one    style     of 
gardening,    how   much    beauty  must    be  sacrificed 
to    ignorance    and    prejudice!      Devotees     of    the 
bedding  system  who  delight  in  planting  their  initials  in  parti- 
coloured coleus  on  innocent  lawns,  or  casting  a  hopeful  anchor  of 
"dusty  miller,"  edged  with  clam  shells,  against  a  terrace  like  a 
railway  embankment,  must  find  their  gardens  fearfully  fixed.    To 
such   there   can  be  no  possibility  of  adding  a   favourite   plant 
throughout  the  season  or  allowing  a  single  one  to  grow  in  a 
natural  way. 

There  are,  at  large,  gardeners  without  number  whose  sole 
ideas  of  beauty  out-of-doors  are  derived  from  the  garish  coloured 
pictures  in  seedsmen's  catalogues.  These  they  toil  early  and 
late  to  perpetrate  on  their  employers'  grounds  and  display  them 
with  a  complacent,  pardonable  pride  that  is  equalled  only  by 
their  masters'  total  indifference  to  what  they  do.  Many  a  woman 
who  will  weep  bitter  tears  when  the  painter  puts  a  jarring  tint  on 
the  wall  of  a  room,  will  blindly  blink  at  the  gardener's  affronts  in 
her  most  conspicuous  door  yard.  When  we  remember  that  the 
masses  of  our  population  are  but  lately  landed  immigrants,  it  is 
scarcely  surprising  that  crowds  gaze  with  rapture  upon  a  life-sized 
elephant,  done  in  uniform  cactus  rosettes,  on  the  greensward  of  a 
public  park.  But  is  it  not  astonishing  when  cultivated  Americans, 
even  those  whose  houses  are  furnished  artistically  and  whose 
taste  in  pictures  has  been  formed  after  years  of  study,  are  content 

69 


jo  The  American  Flower  Garden 

to  let  a  day  labourer  compose  what  should  be  to  them  the  most 
important  picture  of  all  —  the  home  garden  ?  The  rule  may  have 
sufficiently  rare  exceptions  to  prove  it,  but  I  have  never  seen  the 
gardener  who,  if  left  to  his  own  devices,  would  not  cut  up  a  lawn 
into  stereotyped  flower  beds  of  geometric  exactness  —  circles, 
stars,  triangles,  squares  and  ellipses  -  -  and  fill  them  with 
variegated  coleus  sheared  to  a  level,  or  with  cannas,  or  with 
prim  rows  of  deep  pink  and  purple  china  asters,  or  with 
screaming  scarlet  geraniums,  or  with  very  Dutch  bulbs;  the 
tulips  or  hyacinths  invariably  arranged  in  zones  of  sharply 
contrasting  colours  within  the  same  bed.  Such  excrescences 
on  a  fair  green  lawn  can  be  likened  only  to  pimples  on  the  face 
of  Nature. 

Even  the  large-minded  Thackeray  admitted  that  he  liked  to 
be  observed  by  his  friends  when  walking  down  Piccadilly  button- 
holing a  duke.  Similar  gratification  seems  to  elate  the  gardener 
who  has  the  proud  privilege  of  serving  a  gentleman  with  an 
imitation  deer  on  his  front  lawn.  The  man's  ideas  of  elegance 
and  his  fellow  gardeners'  are  completely  fulfilled  by  the  sight. 
But,  as  "the  Monarch  of  the  Glen"  gazes  upon  the  geometric  floral 
horrors  at  his  feet,  no  wonder  his  face  wears  a  chronically  startled 
expression.  How  far  away  from  nature  have  men,  in  their 
ignorance,  departed!  And  for  how  many  crimes  against  art  out- 
of-doors  are  not  the  seedsmen's  catalogues  responsible! 

This  chapter  sings  the  charms  of  the  naturalistic  treatment  of 
a  place  where  unintelligent  formality,  stereotyped  monotony  and 
insincerity  cease.  It  does  not  encourage  the  attempt  to  imitate 
wild  nature  on  our  lawns  and  about  our  houses,  which  would  be 
absurd;  but  this  is  not  to  say,  either,  that  this  area  may  not  be 
treated  in  the  naturalistic  spirit  or  that  the  wild  and  rough  parts 


The  Naturalistic  Garden  71 

of  the  grounds  may  not  be  made  the  most  interesting  and 
beautiful.  It  must  not  be  supposed  for  a  moment,  however,  that 
a  successful  informal  garden  can  be  made  haphazard.  Not  only 
must  the  place  as  a  whole,  be  planned  carefully,  but  each  bit  of 
planting,  no  matter  how  small,  needs  to  be  carefully  thought  out. 
Every  one  knows  that  more  skill  and  a  finer  artistic  sense 
are  required  by  a  landscape  painter  than  by  a  mechanical 
draughtsman. 

When  the  gardener,  like  the  painter,  studies  the  natural 
landscape,  he  learns  how  effectively  nature  breaks  the  sky  line 
with  tree  tops;  how  she  fringes  her  woodland  with  small  trees  and 
masses  of  high  and  low  shrubbery  in  gently  flowing  outlines; 
how  she  clothes  with  kind  verdure  the  raw  banks  and  other  scars 
of  men's  making,  draping  them  with  vines,  scattering  little  bushes 
and  plants  over  them  until  their  ugliness  is  healed.  Nature 
insists  upon  beauty.  Her  disciple  learns  that  she  has  plants  for 
every  place  and  purpose,  and  that  even  on  a  small  home  area, 
he,  too,  may  grow  a  great  variety  of  them  in  a  free  and  picturesque 
way,  giving  to  each  the  situation  where  its  peculiar  needs  may 
best  be  met  and  its  beauty  be  displayed  to  the  greatest  advantage 
while  adding  to  the  effect  of  the  garden  picture  as  a  whole.  He 
cannot  see  a  little  stream  without  longing  to  plant  a  phalanx  of 
Japanese  irises  along  the  edges,  or  clumps  of  feathery  ferns  or 
tufts  of  English  primroses  and  daisies,  or  sheets  of  blue  forget- 
me-nots  on  its  banks.  He  knows  that  the  deliciously  fragrant 
clethra  and  white  azalea  bushes  would  be  quite  happy  among  the 
red-berried  alder  and  elder  flowers  on  the  margin  of  his  little  lake 
where  willows  and  white  birches  have  already  made  themselves  at 
home.  A  bit  of  well-drained  land  that  has  nothing  to  fear  from  cattle 
or  a  mowing  machine,  instantly  suggests  to  his  mind  naturalising 


72  The  American  Flower  Garden 

poet's  narcissus  and  yellow  trumpeted  daffodils  among  the  grass; 
and  he  figures  that  a  thousand  of  these  bulbs  can  be  bought  for  the 
price  of  a  box  of  cigars.  He  will  spangle  his  lawn  with  cheerful  yel- 
low crocuses  that,  unlike  the  daffodils  here,  really  "come  before  the 
swallow  dares."  He  delays  the  first  cutting  of  the  grass  awhile  to 
allow  the  bulbs  to  ripen  their  grass-like  leaves.  Porcelain  blue  scillas 
will  be  happily  colonised  too.  He  uses  trees  and  shrubs  to  mark 
with  unoffending  outline  the  boundaries  of  his  grounds  and 
secures  privacy  with  them  rather  than  with  fences  or  walls. 
Nature's  open  stretches  of  meadow  land  will  have  their  counterpart 
in  the  unbroken  stretches  of  his  lawn  whose  borders  only  may 
be  softened  by  the  sweeping  branches  of  a  fringe  of  shrubbery  or  a 
sinuous  border  of  hardy  flowers.  He  would  be  as  loth  to  put  a 
bed  of  geraniums  in  the  centre  of  a  tree-girt  lawn  picture  as  he 
would  to  rouge  his  baby's  cheeks.  Weeping  and  freakish  trees 
distress  him  as  does  shrubbery  with  variegated  foliage  suggesting 
a  calico  pony.  If  he  be  the  joyful  possessor  of  a  bit  of  woodland, 
he  will  surely  copy  nature's  method  of  planting  flowering  dogwoods 
and  shad  bushes  along  the  undulating  border  with  an  occasional 
Judas  tree,  perhaps,  if  its  vivid  bluish  pink  blossoms  do  not  offend 
his  eye  for  colour;  but  by  no  possibility  could  a  landscape  gardener 
worthy  the  name,  plant  copper  beeches  or  Japanese  maples  along 
a  copse.  A  sense  of  fitness  must  be  conveyed  or  trees  and  plants, 
however  beautiful  in  themselves,  may  give  positive  offence  in  alien 
environments.  The  student  of  nature's  effects  will  soon  cover 
any  unsightly  old  fences,  not  as  nature  does  too  often,  with  poison 
ivy,  but  with  a  fragrant  tangle  of  sweet  briar  and  clematis.  He 
will  see  that  a  raw,  newly  cut  bank  is  planted  with  honeysuckle 
or  with  the  trailing  Wichuraiana  roses,  whose  shining  dark,  waxy 
leaves  and  myriads  of  delicate  white  or  pink  flowers  in  July  will 


TALL,  LATE  MAY  GARDEN  TULIPS  (Gcsneriana)  NATURALISED  IN  A  GRASSY  BORDER 
IN  FRONT  OF  SHRUBBERY:— LOSS  TEN  TO  TWENTY  PER  CENT.  ANNUALLY.  T.  sylveslris,  A 
LOVELY,  PALE  YELLOW  FLOWER,  WITH  LONG,  POINTED  PETALS,  WOULD  BE  QUITE  AT 
HOME  HERE  OR  IN  OPEN  WOODS 


TAWNY  ORANGE   DAY  LILIES   NATURALISED   ALONG  A  DRIVE.       THE   DARK    BACKGROUND 
OF  TREES  HELPS  EMPHASISE  THE  RICH  COLOUR  OF  THE  FLOWERS 


The  Naturalistic  Garden  73 

speedily  transform  it  into  a  bank  of  beauty.  Under  the  trees,  along 
a  walk  or  drive,  the  naturalistic  planter  will  place  pockets  of  soil, 
mellow  and  cool  with  leaf-mould,  for  the  spreading  masses  of  rhodo- 
dendron and  laurel  that  keep  cheerfully  green  all  winter,  and  for 
azaleas  that  include  all  the  shades  of  sunset.  Spires  of  white 
foxglove  will  ascend  at  the  half-shaded  entrance  to  his  woodland 
cathedral  aisles.  He  will  sow  poppies  broadcast  in  his  most 
informal  garden  and  enjoy  a  waving  ribbon  of  them  along  the 
sunny  edge  of  a  walk.  He  may  even  hope  to  naturalise  them 
successfully  among  the  grain  and  pasture  grasses  as  one  sees 
them  growing  in  Europe.  The  enthusiastic  garden  lover  ploughs 
a  bit  of  waste  ground  early  every  spring  and  seeds  it  down  with 
wheat  and  scarlet  poppies  that  are  a  ravishing  delight  even 
if  not  commercially  profitable.  He  scatters  the  portulaca's 
tiny  seed  in  the  driest,  sunniest  places  where  no  other  flower 
would  grow,  for  he  knows  that  a  plant  that  is  next  of  kin  to 
"pusley"  —  most  pestiferous  of  weeds  —  is  not  more  easily 
discouraged  by  drought.  I  have  seen  it  blooming  luxuriantly  on 
a  sandy  beach  just  beyond  reach  of  the  tide.  Such  old-fashioned 
common  crowders  of  finer  garden  flowers  as  the  tiger  lily 
and  the  orange  day  lily,  scorned  by  the  pretentious,  take  on 
new  splendour  when  naturalised  among  the  tall  grass  of  an 
unmowed  meadow. 

When  the  gardener  of  the  landscape  school  comes  to  plant 
around  a  home  his  problem  becomes  more  difficult,  for  here  nature, 
who  puts  no  houses  in  her  pictures,  cannot  help  him  with  designs. 
His  best  endeavours  will  be  spent  in  attempting  to  reconcile  nature 
to  the  house,  by  softening  its  angular  outlines  and  doing  what  he 
can  to  divert  the  eye  from  its  least  attractive  features,  with  the  help 
of  trees,  shrubs,  and  vines,  rather  than  essay  the  impossible  task 


74  The  American  Flower  Garden 

of  obliterating  them  altogether  or  the  undesirable  task  of  smothering 
the  house  with  verdure.  If  a  few  fine  old  trees  should  happily  be 
growing  near  his  building  site  he  already  possesses  the  most  recon- 
ciling features  he  could  have.  One  very  charming  house  I  know 
has  a  gnarled,  picturesque  old  apple  tree  to  shade  a  porch  that 
would  have  covered  and  killed  it  had  not  a  deep  brick  well  been 
built  around  the  trunk  to  let  air,  light  and  moisture  down  to  its 
roots.  The  treatment  gave  it  a  new  lease  of  life.  A  rocky  part 
of  the  land  on  another  side  of  this  unconventional  house  was 
chiseled  to  form  the  very  natural  looking  steps  of  approach  to  it. 
Wistaria  blossoms  festoon  the  largest  rocks  in  May  after  white 
and  lavender  mats  of  creeping  phlox  have  carpeted  them  with 
bloom.  Columbines  dance  on  airy  stems  along  the  rocky  ledges 
and  stately  white  spikes  of  Spanish  bayonets  shoot  up  from 
crowns  of  blade-like  leaves  that  seem  to  grow  out  of  the  rocks 
themselves.  The  fiery  poker  plants  set  the  slopes  ablaze  in  Sep- 
tember. A  surging  mass  of  fine  shrubs -- Japanese  barberry, 
mahonia,  deutzias,  spireas,  white  rugosa  roses,  and  dwarf  ever- 
greens, break  in  waves  against  the  foundation  of  that  house 
which  rises  as  if  by  a  natural  right  from  their  midst.  It  is  the 
foundation  line  which,  in  almost  every  case,  should  be  planted 
out,  no  matter  how  much  of  the  remainder  of  the  house  may  be 
permitted  to  go  bare. 

What  are  the  special  claims  for  the  naturalistic  treatment  of 
our  home  grounds? 

\  It  accords  with  our  racial  temperament;  therefore  it  is  destined 
to  become  the  dominant  style  of  gardening  here,  for  the  same 
reason  that  the  English  language  prevails  on  this  continent  over 
every  other  tongue.  People  of  Latin  blood  have  carried  art  to 
the  very  highest  perfection,  but  our  strong  Teutonic  strain 


The  Naturalistic  Garden  75 

predisposes  us  toward  nature  and  naturalistic  methods.  A  traveller 
in  Italy  can  usually  tell  at  a  glance  where  English  people  are  living 
in  the  villas  there  by  the  intrusion  of  landscape  effects,  with  masses 
of  shrubbery  and  herbaceous  borders  into  the  purely  Italian  plan 
of  the  estate.  Features  so  entirely  out  of  keeping  with  their 
environment  have  seriously  marred  the  beauty  of  not  a  few  fine 
old  villas.  But  how  fitting  and  altogether  charming  are  the  oaks 
and  beeches  that  stretch  their  giant  branches  with  picturesque 
abandon  across  the  velvet  of  English  lawns,  the  clumps  of  shrub- 
bery that  all  but  conceal  the  paths  beyond  its  gently  flowing  curves, 
the  irregular  borders  filled  with  old-fashioned  perennials  that  are 
as  characteristically  English  as  Yorkshire  pudding! 

For  the  discerning  few,  who  know  when  and  how  to  apply 
Italian  principles  of  garden  design  to  some  of  our  own  problems, 
they  must  ever  afford  artistic  satisfaction,  which  is  not  to  say, 
however,  that  naturalistic  treatment  may  not  quite  as  thoroughly  i 
satisfy  one's  artistic  ideals  for  other  kinds  of  garden  problems. 
But  even  where  a  house  of  classically  severe  architecture  demands 
architectural   planting   immediately   around   it,   formality   should 
gradually  emerge  into  more  and  more  freedom  of  line,  the  farther  / 
away  the    planting    recedes    from    the    house    until    finally    the 
naturalistic  is  lost  in  wild  nature  itself. 

However  great  may  be  one's  intellectual  enjoyment  of  a 
faultless  piece  of  formal  garden  composition,  one  is  compelled  to 
really  love  far  better  the  little  cottage  garden  where  roses  tangle 
over  the  doorway,  hollyhocks  peep  in  through  the  lattice,  tawny 
orange  lilies  that  have  escaped  through  the  white  picket  fence 
brighten  the  roadside,  clematis  festoons  fleecy  clouds  of  bloom 
over  the  unpruned  bushes  along  a  lichen-covered  wall  where 
chipmunks  play  hide  and  seek,  and  tall,  unkempt  lilacs  send  their 


76  The  American  Flower  Garden 

fragrance  through  the  kitchen  door.  Herrick  was  not  the  last 
Anglo-Saxon  to  approve  of  "erring  sweetness"  or  to  take  "delight 
in  disorder,"  which,  he  frankly  admits, 

"Do  more  bewitch  me  than  when  Art 
Is   too    precise  in    every    part." 

We  Americans  are  an  intensely  practical  people,  and  when 
we  come  to  count  the  cost  of  our  gardens,  we  happily  find  that  the 
naturalistic  treatment  is  the  least  expensive  because  it  is  permanent. 
Potted  plants  from  the  florist  —  and  millions  of  geraniums  and 
foliage  plants  are  sold  annually  —  give  a  quick,  pyrotechnic 
display  of  flowers,  it  is  true,  but  frost  finishes  them  forever; 
whereas  the  price  of  these  tender  darlings  of  the  gardener,  if  in- 
vested in  a  few  good  shrubs  or  hardy  perennials,  would  yield  far 
more  real  beauty  and  strike  their  roots  into  our  home  affections. 

f  Bedding  plants  mean  money  thrown  away  after  a  single  season. 
Some  gardeners  change  all  the  tender  plants  in  a  bed,  not  once,  but 
several  times  in  a  summer  to  keep  up  a  brilliant  succession  of  bloom 
—  a  senseless  extravagance  when  a  more  artistic  pageant  might  be 
arranged  with  hardy  flowers.  Not  the  least  claim  for  the  free, 
picturesque,  naturalistic  method  of  planting,  is  the  comparatively 

/  small  cost  of  taking  care  of  a  place  where  floral  features  do  not  have 
to  be  annually  renewed. 

Hardy  trees,  shrubs,  vines,  plants  and  bulbs  rapidly  compound 
their  beauty  and  value  year  after  year.  Ten  dollars  wisely  spent 
upon  a  hardy  garden  will  produce  more  beautiful  effects,  more 
variety,  interest,  pleasure  and  artistic  satisfaction  than  a  hundred 
dollars  invested  in  bedding  plants  could  ever  do. 

The  garden  that  is  planted  permanently  soon  overflows  its 
beauty  into  an  entire  neighbourhood.  As  its  loveliness  increases, 
so  do  the  owner's  friends,  who  fall  heirs  to  the  offshoots  and 


J 


PERMANENT  HARDY  LILIES  AND  SHIRLEY  POPPIES 


si 

§ 

!* 

Q 
w 
Q 
P4 
< 
u 


The  Naturalistic  Garden  77 

seedlings  which,  without  thinning  out,  would  soon  choke  one 
another  to  death  or  at  least  cause  deterioration  of  the  stock.  The 
salvation  of  i  garden,  as  of  a  character,  often  depends  upon  giving. 
No  miser  ever  had  a  beautiful  garden. 

And  since  the  first  cost  of  the  garden  that  is  planted  on 
naturalistic  lines  is  the  only  cost  beyond  its  easy  maintenance,  every 
cottager  in  this  country,  as  in  England,  may  hope  to  have  his  door- 
yard  gay  with  hardy  perennials,  and  a  few  shrubs  and  vines,  at 
least;  and  oh,  how  sadly  our  working  people's  most  unlovely  homes 
need  cheerful  little  gardens  about  them! 

Handkerchiefs,  slippers  and  neckties  are  not  the  only  useful 
Christmas  presents.  Why  do  we  so  rarely  give  trees,  shrubs, 
bulbs,  vines  and  perennial  flowers  to  our  friends  ?  Many  a  large 
steamer  that  leaves  the  port  of  New  York  carries  an  enormous 
value  of  perishable  cut  flowers  heaped  up  in  its  dining  saloon,  and 
these  are  often  more  of  a  nuisance  than  a  pleasure  to  the  voyagers. 
Do  friends  care  any  less  for  one  another  because  they  stay  at  home  ? 

One  bride  I  know  received  a  cheque  to  cover  the  cost  of  making 
and  planting  a  garden  around  her  new  home,  and  it  is  certain  that 
all  the  cut  glass  and  bric-a-brac  she  received  will  not  give  her  a 
tithe  of  the  pleasure  during  the  rest  of  her  life.  For  a  wooden 
wedding  present  a  young  couple  who  had  recently  moved  into  a 
raw,  new  place  received  two  maples  that  taxed  the  capacity  of  the 
nearest  nurseryman's  big  tree  movers.  Another  couple  give 
each  other  living  Christmas  trees  every  year.  Their  young  daughter, 
when  asked  by  her  father  to  chose  her  own  Christmas  present, 
handed  him  a  list  of  hardy  hybrid  tea  roses.  These  could  not  be 
enjoyed  except  in  her  mind's  eye  until  the  following  spring,  it  is 
true,  but  by  that  time  she  had  studied  how  to  care  for  them, 
and  now  there  is  not  a  morning  from  June  until  frost  when  she 


78  The  American  Flower  Garden 

cannot  pick  a  bud  for  her  father's  buttonhole,  and  roses  for  the 
library  table. 

The  informal  garden  has  the  additional  merit  of  not  being 
made  all  at  once,  but  of  growing  gradually,  naturally,  by  small 
accretions,  whenever  one  discovers  the  place  where  a  favourite 
plant  would  feel  at  home  or  the  colour  of  another  is  needed,  or 
where  a  finer  effect  might  be  gained  by  introducing  a  new  feature, 
or  when  one  may  afford  a  dissipation  at  the  nursery.  Every  little 
excursion  into  the  world  is  likely  to  yield  some  new  treasure  trove. 
In  moving  from  a  home  whose  garden  was  about  to  be  swallowed 
up  by  the  rapidly  encroaching  city,  it  was  hardest  to  leave  behind 
a  sturdy  maple  tree,  too  big  to  transplant,  that,  as  a  tiny  seedling, 
I  had  brought  in  the  crown  of  my  hat  from  the  battlefield  of 
Lexington.  But  I  jealously  removed  to  the  new  country  home  all 
the  white  phlox  from  my  old  garden.  The  casual  observer  sees 
only  a  snowy  mass  of  flowers  near  my  veranda,  nothing  more  — 
but  at  the  sight  of  it  there  flashes  on  my  inner  eye  a  picture  of 
Hawthorne's  cottage  at  Lenox  overlooking  the  Stockbridge  Bowl, 
where  his  adorable  young  wife  set  out  the  ancestral  plants  of  this 
very  phlox  under  his  study  window.  Years  after  her  death,  when 
the  phlox  that  had  survived  the  burning  of  the  cottage,  had  over- 
flowed to  the  roadside,  I  brought  home  in  a  pair  of  overshoes  all 
the  roots  they  would  hold.  Whoever  owns  a  garden  that  is  not  as 
full  of  associations  and  of  sentiment  as  it  is  of  flowers,  misses  its 
finest  joy. 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE    WILD    GARDEN 

TO  THE  purist  it  may  seem  an  impertinence  to  trans- 
plant the  flora  of  other  lands  to  any  of  those  parterres 
of  nature's  garden  we  are  pleased  to  call  "ours"  when 
so  many  of  our  native  wild  flowers  offer  delightful  possibilities  as 
yet  little  realised  by  American  gardeners.  But  let  him  remember 
that  the  commonest  wild  flowers  we  have,  for  example,  the  daisy 
that  now  whitens  the  fields  throughout  the  United  States  and 
Canada,  was  unknown  on  this  continent  until  it  smuggled  its 
passage  across  the  Atlantic  in  the  hay  used  for  packing  the  early 
Colonists'  china.  Very  many  other  so-called  weeds  —  the 
exquisite  Queen  Anne's  lace  or  wild  carrot,  the  dusty  white  yarrow, 
the  buttercup  that  spangles  our  meadows,  and  "succory  to  match 
the  sky"  -  to  name  only  a  few  among  many  —  are  merely  natural- 
ised foreigners,  not  natives,  that  thrive  far  better  here,  however, 
than  they  did  at  home,  just  as  the  Irish  and  Italian  immigrants 
do.  When  nature  does  not  fix  sectional  limitations,  why 
should  we  ? 

Along  the  roadsides  leading  to  old  homesteads,  we  commonly 
find  the  European  tansy's  shining  yellow  "bitter  buttons"  sug- 
gestive of  the  time  when  tansy  tea  was  supposed  to  cure  most  of 
the  ills  that  flesh  is  heir  to.  Bouncing  Bet,  another  European, 
ran  away  long  ago  from  the  New  England  women  who  used  to 
make  a  cleansing,  healing  lather  from  the  leaves  of  this  soapwort; 
and  now  the  white  or  pinkish  blossoms  swell  the  small  list  of  "our" 
fragrant  wild  flowers.  Tawny  orange  lilies,  that  once  had  their 

81 


82  The  American  Flower  Garden 

passage  paid  across  the  ocean,  have  escaped  from  their  keepers 
through  many  fences  and  are  now  on  a  triumphal  march  to  free- 
dom. So  are  the  small,  speckled  red  blackberry  lilies  that  origin- 
ally came  from  China.  Escaping  from  gardens  here  and  there, 
they  have  already  attained  the  respectable  range  from  Connecticut 
to  Georgia  westward  to  Indiana  and  Missouri.  How  many 
beautiful  flowers,  commonly  grown  in  our  gardens  here,  but 
which,  of  course,  are  the  wild  flowers  of  other  lands,  might  become 
naturalised  Americans  were  we  only  generous  enough  to  lift  a 
few  plants,  scatter  a  few  seeds  over  our  fences  into  the  fields  and 
roadsides  —  to  raise  the  bars  of  their  prison,  as  it  were,  and  set 
them  free!  Most  of  them  are  doomed  to  stay  forever  in  prim, 
rigidly  cultivated,  cell-like  flower  beds.  Some,  like  the  blue  corn 
flower,  are  waiting  only  until  a  chance  to  bolt  for  freedom  presents 
itself,  and  away  they  go.  Lucky  are  they  if  every  flower  they 
produce  is  not  plucked  before  a  single  seed  can  be  set.  Each 
plant  has  some  device  for  travelling,  however  slowly,  or  for  send- 
ing its  offspring  away  from  home  to  found  new  colonies,  if  man 
would  but  let  it  alone.  Better  still,  give  the  eager  traveller  a  lift! 

Not  alone  is  the  prophet  without  honour  in  his  own  country. 
A  century  before  the  lovely  mountain  laurel  was  appreciated  here, 
Peter  Kalm  had  sent  specimens  to  Europe,  where  it  immediately 
became  a  garden  favourite.  Even  to  this  day  numbers  of  nursery 
kalmia  plants,  as  well  as  our  native  Rhododendron  maximum  and 
Catawbiense  and  their  hybrids,  the  best  azaleas  evolved  from  our 
bare-stemmed  Pinxter  flower,  the  pure  pink  A.  Vaseyi,  the  deli- 
ciously  fragrant  white  azalea  of  our  swamps,  and  the  gorgeous 
flame-coloured  azalea  from  the  Carolina  mountains,  return  to  us  by 
way  of  Europe.  What  comfortable  little  fortunes  that  might  easily 
have  been  earned  by  Americans,  now  stand  to  the  credit  of  the 


SHEETS  OF  BLUE  FORGET-ME-NOTS  OVERSPREAD  THE   BANKS  OF  A  WILD    GARDEN    NEAR 
WATER,    WHERE    THEY    ARE    AT    HOME 


The  Wild  Garden  83 

Dutch,  Belgian  and  English  growers  of  these  plants  alone !  "Ameri- 
can gardens,"  with  these  splendid  representatives  of  the  heath  family 
as  a  basis,  have  been  features  of  not  a  few  fine  English  estates  for 
many  years.  It  gives  the  American  traveller  food  for  reflection 
to  see  not  only  American  rhododendrons,  laurel  and  azaleas,  but 
New  England  asters  and  other  members  of  that  starry  tribe,  the 
tall  Canadian  goldenrod,  the  burnt  orange  umbels  of  butterfly 
weed,  wood  and  field  lilies,  rose  mallow  from  New  Jersey  tide- 
water meadows,  fleecy  spired  clethra,  flowering  dogwoods  and 
viburnums,  trilliums,  bloodroot  and  meadow  rue,  and  even  our 
despised  velvety  mullein  among  many  other  cherished  plants 
from  home,  blooming  contentedly  on  the  ancestral  soil  of  a 
British  peer. 

Strange  as  it  may  seem,  quantities  of  our  wild  flowers,  includ- 
ing the  shy  little  orchids,  are  exported  annually  by  American 
specialists,  who  rarely  receive  an  order,  however,  without  a  foreign 
postage  stamp  on  the  envelope.  As  a  rule,  even  we  few  Americans 
who  delight  in  wild  gardening  have  not  learned  to  buy  plants  from 
nurserymen  who  grow  them  from  seed,  rather  than  despoil  the 
woods  and  roadsides  about  our  homes.  Impulsively  we  dig  up 
plants,  whenever  or  wherever  we  find  them,  usually  when  they 
are  in  bloom,  often  when  no  place  has  been  prepared  to  receive 
their  dry  roots  and  fainting  forms,  and  yet  we  feel  discouraged 
when  they  die.  Who  can  resist  the  pure  white  blossoms  of  the 
bloodroot,  the  speckled  yellow  bell  of  the  little  trout  lily  or  adder's 
tongue,  and  the  lavender  blue  hepaticas  ?  The  temptation  to 
dig  up  the  plants  at  once  rather  than  in  August  when  they  are 
resting,  too  often  proves  irresistible.  Few  of  us  have  the  patience 
to  drive  marked  stakes  beside  the  flowering  plants  that  we  may 
wish  to  lift,  and  return,  perhaps  months  afterward,  to  transplant 


84 


The  American  Flower  Garden 


them  during  their  dormant  season,  and  then  only  when  we  have 
holes  and  soil  prepared  to  receive  them,  water  and  mulch  at  hand, 
canvas  or  paper  to  hold  a  generous  ball  of  soil  around  each  root, 
and  a  waggon  to  rush  them  to  their  new  home.  Not  many  people 
study  a  plant's  natural  habitat  and  attempt  to  give  it  a  similar  one 
in  their  wild  garden.  We  learn  only  by  sad  experience  that  the 
great  white  trilliums  which  were  so  beautiful  in  the  rich,  moist 
woods  die  on  a  dry  upland  where  barberries,  butterfly  weed  and 
black-eyed  Susans  would  feel  more  at  home;  that  to  expose  the 
fine,  fibrous  roots  of  laurel,  rhododendrons  or  azaleas  to  the  sun 
and  wind,  or  plant  them  in  an  unprotected  situation,  is  even  more 
fatal  to  them  than  to  the  dogwood;  that  the  arbutus  rarely  lives 
after  transplanting,  no  matter  how  carefully  it  may  have  been 
moved,  and  that  wild  roses,  not  vigorously  pruned  before  they 
are  lifted  in  early  spring,  generally  refuse  to  put  out  a  leaf.  It  is 
usually  wiser,  and  certainly  far  less  trouble,  perhaps  even  less 
costly,  to  buy  wild  plants  trained  for  travelling  by  a  reliable  grower, 
who  will  ship  them  properly  packed  at  the  right  season  and  answer 
all  our  cultural  questions,  than  to  risk  failure  and  heartbreak 
through  experimenting.  But  oh!  what  fun  one  misses! 

Your  true  gardener  is  not  to  be  cheated  out  of  those 
excursions  to  the  woods  and  meadows  that  are  his  chief  joy.  He, 
as  well  as  the  nurseryman,  learns  by  observation,  study  or  inquiry 
what  are  the  fixed  requirements  of  his  favourite  plants,  and  these 
he  spares  no  pains  to  meet.  If  ferns  are  his  hobby,  he  will  soon 
find  a  moist,  shady  corner,  sheltered  from  the  wind,  for  the  maiden 
hair,  rocks  for  evergreen  spleenworts  and  polypodies,  a  northern 
slope  for  a  variety  of  shield  ferns,  a  home  among  rhododen- 
drons for  the  royal  fern  and  the  fragrant,  finely  cut  fronds  of 
Dicksonia. 


The  Wild  Garden  85 

If  other  rock-loving  plants  delight  him,  he  will  place  pockets 
of  rich,  light  loam  between  the  crevices  of  boulders  and  lesser 
stones  to  nourish  happy  colonies  of  columbine,  bloodroot,  true  and 
false  Solomon's  seals,  Pinxter  flower,  hawkweed,  shooting  star, 
Virginia  cowslip,  blue  bells,  daphne,  violets,  St.  John's  wort,  wild 
geranium,  and  blue  phlox  among  the  foreign  saxifrages,  rock- 
cresses  and  other  Alpine  plants,  without  which  was  a  rock  garden 
ever  complete  ? 

Only  the  enthusiast  with  a  deeper  pocket  than  any  among 
his  rocks  can  buy  rhododendrons  by  the  freight-car  load,  though 
the  poor  nature  lover  may  know  as  well  as  he  their  delightful 
possibilities  when  lavishly  planted.  Grown  in  bold  masses, 
under  trees  along  an  entrance  drive  or  beside  a  brook  or  on  the 
bank  of  a  small  lake,  their  beauty  is  majestic.  Laurel  may  be 
grouped  in  the  foreground  at  their  feet,  tall  auratum,  superbum 
and  Canada  lilies  may  shoot  upward  from  their  midst,  or  their 
heavy  dark  foliage  may  serve  as  a  background  in  damp  situations 
for  the  incomparable  red  of  the  cardinal  flower  or  the  stately  form 
of  Japanese  iris.  With  leaves  as  decorative  as  a  rubber  plant's 
and  blossoms  that  form  a  bouquet  complete  in  itself,  the  rhodo- 
dendron, either  in  the  wild  garden  or  in  the  formal  garden,  reigns 
supreme  among  evergreen  plants. 

But  this  is  not  said  to  discourage  the  use  of  many  other  native 
shrubs  of  varied  loveliness.  What  a  wealth  of  beauty  exists  in 
the  viburnum  tribe  alone  —  in  the  high  bush  cranberry  and  arrow 
wood  whose  broad  white  panicles  are  only  less  attractive  than 
their  bright  fruit!  How  impoverished  should  we  be  without 
the  dogwoods,  without  the  shad  bush,  the  Judas  tree,  the  sumachs, 
the  glossy  leaved,  blue-berried  mahonia,  and  the  bright  red- 
berried  holly!  The  fragrant  button  ball,  the  creamy  cups  of 


86 


The  American  Flower  Garden 


sweet  bay  (Magnolia  glauca),  the  white  azalea  that  fills  the  air 
with  a  spicy  fragrance  as  delicious  as  the  clethra's,  the  black 
alder  whose  dark  twigs,  stuck  with  red  berries,  make  a  cheerful 
punctuation  point  in  the  autumn  landscape,  the  elder,  whose  flat 
white  blossoms  come  with  the  wild  roses,  the  shrubby  cinquefoil, 
the  fuzzy  pink  steeple  bush,  the  meadowsweet  and  the  ninebark, 
equally  attractive  in  flower  and  in  fruit,  will  not  be  missing  from 
the  wild  garden  planted  in  moist  ground. 

Indeed,  a  low  lying  piece  of  land  affords  more  possibilities 
of  establishing  colonies  of  plants  that  may  be  trusted  to  take  almost 
entire  care  of  themselves  than  any  other  site.  Here  the  monarda, 
bee  balm  or  Indian  plume  as  it  is  variously  called,  will  spread 
rapidly  and  invite  humming  birds  to  feast  every  midsummer  day 
at  the  brimming  wells  of  nectar  in  the  ragged  red  tubes  that  are 
stuck  irregularly  around  its  globes.  Here,  in  late  summer,  the 
vivid  cardinal  flower  will  continue  their  feast.  Rose  mallows 
that  look  like  single  pink  hollyhocks,  tall,  feathery,  meadow  rue, 
superbum  lilies,  moccasin  flowers,  showy  lady's  slippers,  the  white 
fringed  orchid  and  other  orchids,  trilliums,  spring  beauty,  turtle 
head,  and  the  blue  fringed  gentians,  which  may  now,  after  long 
experimenting,  be  grown  from  seed,  are  only  a  few  of  the  many 
native  wild  flowers  that  are  happy  where  there  is  no  possibility  of 
dying  out.  In  such  a  place  the  Virgin's  bower  clematis  will  hang 
fleecy  festoons  over  the  shrubbery  and  race  with  the  bittersweet 
and  wild  grape  up  the  trees.  Tufts  of  English  primroses  and 
marsh  marigolds  and  sheets  of  blue  forget-me-nots  delight  to 
spread  along  the  banks  of  a  brook  where  serried  ranks  of  blue  and 
yellow  irises  and  the  pure  white  blossomed  arrowhead  stand  with 
their  feet  in  the  water.  It  was  Thoreau  who  called  a  swamp 
"Nature's  sanctuary."  Not  until  one  enters  it  with  an  eye  alert 


WAXY  WHITE  INDIAN  PIPES  AND  CREEPING  DALIBARDA  IN  A  MAN-MADE  CORNER  OF 

NATURE'S  GARDEN 


OUR  NATIVE  SHOWY  LADY's  SLIPPER  IN  MOIST  ALLUVIAL  SOIL.  THE  MARVELLOUS 
MECHANISM  OF  THIS  BEAUTIFUL  ORCHID,  WHICH  SO  DELIGHTED  DARWIN,  MAKES  IT 
DOUBLY  VALUABLE  IN  THE  WILD  GARDEN 


The  Wild  Garden  87 

for  treasures  for  the  wild  garden  does  one  realise  how  many  lovely 
ones  have  their  being  where  the  human  eye  almost  never  sees  them ; 
yet  most  of  them  can  be  grown  successfully  in  much  drier  places 
within  easy  access  of  one's  home.  The  rose  mallow  from  the 
swamps,  for  example,  thrives  in  a  flower  garden  under  the  same 
treatment  given  a  hollyhock.  Now  that  the  cardinal  flower  is 
commonly  offered  in  seedsmen's  catalogues  it  has  found  its  way 
into  many  flower  beds,  where,  however  brilliant  the  blossoms,  its 
ill  fitting  environment  robs  it  of  half  its  charm. 

It  surprises  most  people  to  see  how  much  a  little  cultivation 
improves  many  of  our  wild  flowers.  When  their  fierce  struggle 
for  existence  may  be  relaxed,  when  every  want  is  anticipated  and 
the  plants  may  devote  their  entire  energy  to  developing  all  their 
latent  loveliness,  how  fast  it  reveals  itself!  The  blue  wheels  of 
succory  double  their  size;  the  boneset,  another  cosmopolitan  weed, 
spreads  broader  panicles  of  soft  leaden  white  bloom  than  is  its 
wont;  its  next  of  kin,  the  Joe  Pye  weed,  rears  fleecy  flowers  of  dull 
Persian  pink  high  above  one's  head ;  the  evening  primrose  becomes 
a  branching  bush,  asters  multiply  their  stars,  and  the  goldenrod, 
in  well  fertilised,  cultivated  soil,  astonishes  all  beholders  by  the 
prodigal  richness  of  its  gold. 

Not  the  least  claim  for  the  wild  garden  is  that  it  may  be  had 
when  the  flower  lover  can  afford  no  other.  The  rich  man  may 
send  abroad  for  foreign  plants  to  naturalise  in  the  wild  parts  of  his 
estate,  or  he  may  buy  a  freight-train  load  of  native  mountain  laurel, 
as  more  than  one  American  enthusiast  has  done,  but  nature 
knows  no  partiality.  The  poorest  teacher  in  a  rural  school,  with- 
out a  penny  at  her  disposal,  may  take  all  her  boys  and  girls  from 
their  desks  to  nature's  nursery  in  the  woods  and  fields  and  bring 
home  in  a  borrowed  farm  waggon  treasures  enough  to  beautify  the 


88  The  American  Flower  Garden 

bare,  unlovely  school  grounds  whose  care  might  well  become  one  of 
the  children's  most  important  lessons.  The  bald  ugliness  of  many  a 
village  schoolhouse,  the  hard  lines  of  too  many  farmers'  homes  and 
the  poorest  people's  cabins,  the  barren  waste  of  most  country  grave- 
yards, might  all  be  mercifully  adorned  without  money  and  without 
price  if  the  possibilities  of  free  flora  were  understood  by  indifferent, 
because  unintelligent,  people.  The  use  of  wild  trees,  shrubs  and 
flowering  plants  does  not  necessarily  mean  a  wild  garden,  but  it 
does  mean  a  far  more  beautiful,  artistic,  and  economical  kind  of 
gardening  than  any  that  the  masses  of  our  people  can  afford. 
It  is  the  garden  for  the  million  as  well  as  the  millionaire. 

NATIVE   PLANTS   FOR  THE  WILD  GARDEN 

[See  also,  LAUREL,  RHODODENDRON,  CLETHRA,  and  other  desirable 
native  shrubs  on  pp.  155-162  and  175-187.] 

Plants  marked  thus  (*)  are  suitable  for  situations  surrounding  the  water  garden. 
NOTE. — The  flowering  season  given  is  that  for  the  neighbourhood  of  New  York  and 
-varies  earlier  or  later  to  the  South  or  North. 

ADDER'S  TONGUE.     See  DOG'S  TOOTH  VIOLET. 

ADAM'S  NEEDLE,  SPANISH  BAYONET  (Yucca  filamentosa).  See  HER- 
BACEOUS PLANTS.  (P.  229.)  The  best  desert  evergreen  plant 
and  for  subtropical  effects. 

*  AMERICAN  SENNA  (Cassia  Marylandica).  Yellow.  July,  August;  2 
to  5  feet.  Best  yellow  flower  for  clumps  in  moist,  open  situations 
and  swamps. 

ASTER  (Various  species').  Blue,  mauve  to  white.  August  till  frost; 
6  inches  to  4  feet.  Daisy-like  flowers  of  various  sizes  in  loose 
panicles.  Open  meadows  and  woodland  borders.  These  are  the 

very  best  late  flowers.  * ,  NEW  ENGLAND  (Aster  Novce-Anglice). 

Violet  and  purple;  3  to  .8  feet.  Moist  ground.  Much  improved 

in  cultivation.  NEW  YORK  (A.  Novi-Belgii).  Pale  blue; 

2  to  3  feet.  Wet,  open  banks.  — — ,  SMOOTH  (A.  lavis).  Sky  blue. 
September,  October;  2  to  4  feet.  For  dry  soils  and  dry  wood- 
lands. Easiest  way  to  naturalise  is  by  scattering  seeds. 


The  Wild  Garden  89 

*BANEBERRY,  WHITE  (Actaa  alba). ,  RED.  (A.  rubra).     April,  June; 

I   to  2  feet.     Rich  soil   in   shade.     Undergrowth.     Most  effective 

for  the  respective  white  and  red  berries  that  follow  the  flowers. 

Fruiting  pedicels  of  the  white  baneberry  are  often  red. 
BAYBERRY  (Myrica  ceriferd).     For  description  see  WAX    MYRTLE    in 

SHRUBS,  p.  187.     Naturalise  along  seashore  and  on  sandy  knolls. 
BEARD  TONGUE.     See  PENTSTEMON. 

BEE  BALM  (Monarda  didyma).     See  HERBACEOUS  PLANTS,  p.  217. 
BLACK-EYED    SUSAN    (Rudbeckia    birta).      Yellow   with    black    centre. 

May,  September.     I  to  3  feet.     Dry  and  open  ground  anywhere. 

Naturalised  freely  in  fields.     The  most  showy  daisy-like  flower  of 

summer. 
*BLACK  SNAKEROOT,  BLACK   COHOSH    (Cimicifuga    racemosa).     White 

in  elongated   spikes.     June,   August;  4  to  6  feet.     Moist,   shady 

corners,  woods,  pond  edges. 
BLAZING  STAR  (Liatris  pycnostachyd).    Purple.    July,  August.    4  to  5  feet. 

Light,  well-drained  soil.     Long  grass-like  foliage,  with  flower  heads 

in   long   spikes. (L.    scariosa).     2   to  4  feet.     Flowers  August, 

September;  bluish  purple. 
BLOODROOT.     See  TUBEROUS  PLANTS,  p.  273. 
BLUEBELL.     See  HAREBELL. 
BLUE  COHOSH  (Caulopbyllum  tbalictroides).     Flowers  greenish  purple. 

April,  May.     i  to  i\  feet.     Well-drained,  shady,  and  dark  corners. 

Moist  hillsides.     Fruits  burst,  exposing  large  blue,  glaucous  seeds. 

Foliage  glaucous  when  young. 
BLUETS,  INNOCENCE  (Houstonia  ccerulea).     Pale  blue,  with  yellow  eye. 

May.     2  to  4  inches.     Dainty  little  4-petalled  flower  growing  in  tufts 

for  open,  moist  or  grassy  places.     Brightest  dwarf  flower  of  spring. 
*BOLTONIA,  FALSE  CHAMOMILE  (Boltonia  latisquama).     Lilac.     August 

to  October;  2  to  6  feet.       For  bold,  wild  effects.     Moist  soil  in 

sunny  place.      B.   asteroides  has  white,  pink   or  purplish  flowers. 

July,  September. 

*BONESET  (Eupatorium  perfoliatum).     White,  rarely  blue.     July,  Septem- 
ber; 2  to  5  feet.     Wet  places.     Easily  naturalised  almost  anywhere. 
BUTTERFLY   WEED,    PLEURISY   ROOT     (Asclepias   tuberosa).     Orange, 

rarely  yellow.   Heads  flat.   June,  September;  I  to  2  feet.   Open  sun, 

well-drained  soil.    Easiest  plant  of  its  colour  to  naturalise  in  fields. 


go  The  American  Flower  Garden 

*CARDINAL  FLOWER  (Lobelia  cardinalis).  Brilliant  carmine.  July, 
August;  2  J  feet.  The  brightest  flower  of  its  kind.  Often  grown 
in  the  border,  but  is  somewhat  ragged.  Best  in  shady  places 
along  banks  of  streams.  Scatter  seeds  freely. 

CELANDINE  POPPY  (Stylophorum  diphyllurri).  Yellow  or  red.  May,  June, 
i  to  2  feet.  For  a  rich,  loose  soil,  but  with  preference  for  partial 
shade.  Plant  has  yellow  juice.  Leaves  dark  green,  flowers  quite 
showy. 

CINQUEFOIL  (Potentilla  jruticosd).  Bright  yellow.  All  summer; 
6  inches  to  4  feet.  Small  flowers  like  single  roses,  one  inch  across. 
Prefers  moist,  rich  soil,  but  thrives  on  dry,  and  even  on  rocks.  Very 
useful  for  its  long  season  of  bloom,  but  may  become  a  weed  on 
favoured  soil. 

CLINTONIA  (Clintonia  borealis).  Green,  margined  yellow  in  threes. 
May,  June;  followed  by  blue  berries  in  autumn  above  the  dark-green 
leaves;  I  to  2  feet.  Cool,  moist  woods.  Other  species  almost  the 
same. 

COLUMBINE  (Aquilegia  Canadensis).  Red  and  yellow.  May,  June; 
8  to  20  inches.  Excellent  for  rocky  slopes.  (See  also  HERBACEOUS 
PLANTS,  p.  220.) 

*CRANE'S  BILL  (Geranium  maculatum).  Light  pinkish  purple  in  sev- 
eral shades.  April  to  August;  2  feet.  In  open  sunshine,  meadows, 
and  in  woods.  A  very  common  wild  plant  with  flat  flowers  an  inch 
and  a  half  across. 

DOG'S  TOOTH  VIOLET,  ADDER'S  TONGUE,  TROUT  LILY  (Erythronium 
Americanum).  Yellow.  April  to  May;  10  inches.  Flowers  with 
the  violet,  and  often  found  growing  with  it.  Solitary  nodding 
lily-like  yellow  flowers  an  inch  long.  Leaves  marbled  with  brown 
and  silvery  gray.  Plant  6  inches  deep,  in  any  light  soil  with  partial 
shade.  Several  marked  variations. 

DUTCHMAN'S  BREECHES  (Dicentra  Cucullaria).  Greenish  white,  tinged 
with  pink.  April;  8  inches.  Delicate-looking  plant,  with  finely 
divided  leaves.  Moist  soil  in  partial  shade.  One  of  the  first 
flowers  of  spring. 

DWARF  CORNEL  (Cornus  Canadensis).  White.  May  to  July;  6  inches. 
Large  white  bracts,  followed  by  bright  red  berries  in  fall.  Her- 
baceous. For  shaded  woods,  as  undergrowth,  along  driveways,  etc. 


The  Wild  Garden  9i 

FALSE  MITREWORT  (Tiarella  cordifolia).  White.  May;  6  to  12  inches. 
Foamy  masses  of  small  flowers  borne  above  the  tuft  of  foliage. 
Cool  soil  and  full  or  half  shade.  In  effect  the  dwarf  counterpart 
of  the  plume  poppy. 

*FoRGET-ME-NoT  (Myosotis  palustris).     Along  streams.     See  HERBA- 
CEOUS PLANTS,  p.  221. 

GENTIAN,  CLOSED  (Gentiana  Andrewsi).  Blue,  occasionally  white. 
August  to  October;  I  to  2  feet.  Flowers  in  a  compact  terminal 
cluster,  large  and  usually  quite  closed.  A  strong-growing  plant 
for  rich,  moist  soil  in  partial  shade.  Excellent  along  banks  of 

streams. ,  FRINGED  (G.  crinita).    Violet.    September,  October; 

I  to  3  feet.  Flower-tube  about  two  inches  long,  with  flat,  expanded 
lobes,  prettily  fringed.  A  biennial,  and  in  some  places  the  seed  is 
killed  by  frost.  Sow  fresh  seed  in  moist  woods  and  meadows;  or 
in  cultivation  on  a  seed  bed  of  sphagnum  moss  as  first  described  in 
The  Garden  Magazine  for  December,  1905.  Makes  a  tiny  rosette 

the  first  year.   ,  NARROW-LEAVED  (G.  linearis).   Blue.  August, 

September;  6  inches  to  2  feet.  Similar  to  the  closed  gentian,  but 
tipped  with  white.  Profuse  flowering.  Perfectly  hardy.  Moist 
places  in  open  sun  and  in  bogs.  The  easiest  gentian  to  naturalise. 

*GOLDENROD  (Species  of  Solidago).  Plumose,  yellow.  The  most  char- 
acteristic yellow-flowered  plants  of  late  summer  and  fall. ,  WOOD- 
LAND (S.  caesia).  August,  September;  I  to  3  feet.  For  moist 

shade.  ,  FIELD  (S.  nemoralis).   July  to  November.   ^  to  2  feet. 

Best    low  grower  for   dry,  open   places.   ,   CANADA  (S.  Cana- 

densis).  August  to  November.  2  to  8  feet.  Best  tall  kind  for 
open  places. 

GOLD  THREAD  (Coptis  tr  if  olio).  White  with  yellow  base.  May  to 
July;  6  inches.  For  carpeting  moist,  shady  soils  and  on  clay. 
Evergreen,  shiny  leaves. 

*GRASS  PINK  (Calopogon  pulchellus).  Purplish  pink.  June,  July; 
I  foot.  Grass-like  leaves  in  spring.  Swamps  and  peat  bogs,  also 
sandy  soil  if  moist.  One  of  the  brightest  native  orchids  with  6  to 
12  flowers  to  a  stalk. 

HAREBELL,  BLUEBELL  (Campanula  rotund  if  olio).  Blue,  rarely  white. 
May  to  July;  6  inches.  Dark,  shaded  places,  but  open;  also  rocky 
crevices,  and  full  sun  in  high  altitudes  only. 


92  The  American  Flower  Garden 

*!NDIAN  TURNIP,  JACK-IN-THE-PULPIT  (Arisama  tripbyllum).  Greenish 
spathe,  striped  purple  with  a  horizontal  flap,  followed  by  red  berries. 
April  to  June;  ij  feet.  Low,  moist,  rich  woodlands.  Leaves 
from  early  spring  till  autumn,  in  shady,  moist  places. 

*!RIS,  BLUE  FLAG  (Iris  versicolor).  Blue  and  white.  May  to  July;  20 
inches.  Wet  places  and  along  brooksides.  More  slender  growing, 
flowering  in  May  and  June,  is  7.  prismatica  or  I  Virginica.  At 
home  along  the  East  Coast. 

*!RONWEED  (Vernonia  Noveboracensis).  Purple.  July  to  September; 
3  to  5  feet.  Flowers  in  large  terminal  clusters,  very  showy.  Best 
effect  in  masses  near  water,  making  good  supplement  to  the  purple 
loosestrife,  which  is  earlier.  Also  for  open  places. 

*JACK-IN-THE-PULPIT.       See  INDIAN  TURNIP. 

JAMESTOWN  WEED,  THORN  APPLE  (Datura  Stramonium).  White. 
June  to  September;  2  to  5  feet.  Any  soil.  Naturalised  from 
tropics.  An  annual  that  has  become  a  weed  in  the  South.  Use 
only  in  very  wildest  places. 

*JoE-PYE  WEED  (Eupatorium  purpureum).  Purple  to  flesh  colour,  to 
almost  white.  August  to  September;  8  to  9  feet.  The  boldest,  tall,  rank- 
growing  plant  for  low  grounds.  Easily  naturalised.  Foliage  coarse. 
Var.  maculatum  is  lower,  with  purple-brown  markings  on  stem. 

LADY'S  SLIPPER,  MOCCASIN  FLOWER  (Cypripedium  acaule).  Rose- 
purple.  May  to  June;  I  foot.  Two  leaves.  Well-drained  soil 
with  leaf-mould.  -  ,  SHOWY  (C.  spectabile).  Pink-purple  to  pink. 
June;  2  feet.  Several  leaves.  The  easiest  native  orchid  to  grow 
and  the  showiest.  Bogs  or  moist,  partly  shaded  bed  of  peat  or  leaf- 
mould.  Get  large  clumps,  as  of  all  orchids.  -  ,  YELLOW  (C. 
pubescens).  Yellow  brown.  May,  June;  I  foot.  Well-drained 
bed  of  leaf-mould  and  peat  in  moist  shade.  C.  pauciflorum  is 
smaller,  but  easier  to  grow  in  similar  soil.  Leave  undisturbed. 

*LILY,  RED,  CANADA  AND  TURK'S  CAP.     See  BULBOUS  PLANTS,  pp.  277, 


LIVERWORT  (Hepatic  a  triloba).  Blue,  purple,  pink.  Earliest  spring; 
6  to  8  inches.  Best  and  earliest  flowering  plant  for  massing  in 
shady  corners  or  open  woods.  In  protected  places  flowers  in  the 
snow.  Holds  leather-like,  three-lobed  old  leaves  all  winter  and 
until  after  flowering. 


The  Wild  Garden  93 

*LOOSESTRIFE,  PURPLE  (Lythrum  Salicaria).  Bright  purple.  June  to 
August;  2  to  8  feet.  Best  bright-coloured  flowers  for  late  summer, 
for  swamps,  and  wet  meadows.  Flowers  in  lax  terminal  spikes. 

LUPIN  (Lupinus  perennis).  Blue,  pink,  or  white.  May,  June.  I  to  2 
feet.  Dry,  sandy  soils  and  banks.  Pea-like  flowers  in  loose  racemes. 

*M ALLOW,  SWAMP  ROSE  (Hibiscus  Moscheutos).  Rose  or  white. 
August,  September;  3  to  7  feet.  For  swamps  and  brackish 
marshes.  Large,  expanded  flower,  four  inches  across,  sometimes 
with  crimson  eye.  Best  large,  rose-coloured  flower  for  wet  places. 

MAY  APPLE  (Podophyllum  peltatum).  White.  May;  ij  feet.  Large, 
nodding  flowers  under  bold  seven  and  nine  lobed  leaves,  almost 
round  and  peltate.  Creeping  root-stocks.  Excellent  for  early 
spring  effects  in  moist  woodlands. 

*MEADOW  RUE,  TALL  (Thalictrum  aquilegi folium).  White.  July  to 
September;  4  to  5  feet.  Moist  soils  in  open  or  along  brooks.  Light, 
feathery  balls  of  flowers  and  gracefully  cut  fern-like  foliage.  Good 
for  cutting  too.  T.  dioicum,  I  to  2  feet.  Purplish  flowers  in 
April,  May.  Woods. 

*MEADOW  SWEET  (Ulmaria  pentapetala).  Creamy  white.  June,  July; 
2  to  4  feet.  One  of  the  best  free-growing  plants  for  moderately 
moist  soils.  Showy  terminal  corymbs,  borne  on  erect  stems,  natur- 
alised in  the  East.  One  variety  has  leaves  variegated  with  yellow. 
Also  a  double  form. 

*MILKWEED,  SWAMP  (Asclepias  incarnatd).  Rose-purple  in  flat  heads, 
rarely  white.  July  to  September;  I  to  2  feet.  Swamps,  where 
grasses  fail,  and  along  streams.  Most  showy,  flat-headed  plant  for 

late  summer  in  such  situations.  ,  COMMON  (A.  Cornuti).  Dull, 

grayish  pink.  Earlier;  much  less  showy;  but  grows  on  drier  soils. 

MILKWORT,  FRINGED  (Poly gala  paucifolia).  Rose.  May,  June;  6 
inches.  For  edges  of  moist,  rich  woods,  in  open  places.  Pretty 
purplish  foliage  and  large-fringed  flowers.  Plant  in  clumps. 

Ox-EYE  DAISY  (Chrysanthemum  Leucanthemum).  White  with  yellow 
centre.  May  to  November;  I  to  3  feet.  The  common  daisy  of  the 
fields,  and  invaluable  for  meadow  effects.  Parent  of  Shasta  daisy 
(see  p.  228). 

PARTRIDGE  BERRY  (Mitchella  re  pens).  Evergreen  creeping  vine.  Dark 
green,  with  scarlet  berries  lasting  all  the  winter.  Woods. 


94  The  American  Flower  Garden 

*PENTSTEMON  (Pentstemon  l&vigatus,  var.  Digitalis).  White.  May  to 
July;  4  to  5  feet.  Any  well-drained  soil  in  open  places.  Easily 
naturalised,  and  sometimes  becomes  a  weed  in  meadows.  Tubular 
flowers  in  lax  panicles.  (For  GARDEN  PENTSTEMON,  see  HERBAC- 
EOUS PLANTS,  p.  217.) 

PHLOX,  WILD  BLUE  (Phlox  divaricatd).  Gray-blue.  April  to  June; 
i  J  feet.  Along  edges  of  moist  woods.  Valuable  for  its  colour  at  its 
season.  Short  pyramids  of  flowers,  faintly  fragrant. 

*PICKEREL  WEED  (Pontederia  cordata).  Blue.  June  to  October;  2  to 
4  feet.  Wet  and  swampy  lands.  Flowers  in  dense  spikes  borne 
above  the  foliage.  Best  strong-growing  plant  on  stream  and  pond 
borders. 

PRICKLY  PEAR  (Opuntla  vulgaris).     See  HERBACEOUS  PLANTS,  p.  227. 

*QuEEN  OF  THE  PRAIRIE  (Ulmaria  rubrd).  Pink.  June,  July;  2  to 
8  feet.  Large  panicles,  slightly  fragrant.  Moist  grounds  and  open 
meadows.  Excellent  for  wild  effects  on  large  areas. 

RATTLESNAKE  PLANTAIN  (Goodyera  pubescent).  White.  August;  i  foot. 
Leaves  mottled  with  white.  Flowers  in  a  terminal  spike.  Easiest 
woods  orchid  to  naturalise  in  ordinary  loam,  mixed  with  pine 
needles  and  twigs.  Native  in  damp  woods. 

ROSE,  PRAIRIE  (Rosa  setigera).  Pink  flowers,  fading  whitish.  June, 
July;  6  feet  or  more.  Best  climber.  For  shrubby  effects  on  dry 
ground  R.  lucida,  6  feet,  with  red  stems  and  fruits  showy  all  winter. 
On  moist  ground,  R.  Carolina,*  8  feet. 

*SKUNK  CABBAGE  (Symplocarpus  fatidus).  Bright,  yellow  green,  bold 
foliage  in  earliest  spring;  i  foot.  Moist  dells.  Very  effective. 

SNAKEROOT.     See  WHITE  SNAKEROOT. 

*SNEEZEWEED  (Helenium  autumnale).  Bright  yellow.  August  to 
October;  i  to  2  feet.  Best  large  yellow,  daisy-like  flower  for 
summer  and  fall.  For  swamps  and  wet  meadows.  Will  also 
grow  in  open  border.  Var.  superbum,  4  feet,  with  flowers  3 
inches  across. 

*SOLOMON'S  SEAL  (Polygonatum  biflorum).  White  flowers  in  arching 
sprays,  with  the  leaves.  June;  I  foot.  Black  berries  in  fall.  Moist 

shade  or  rich  soil  in  the  open. ,  FALSE   (Smilacina  racemosd). 

White,    i  to  2  feet.     Flowers  in  terminal,  foam-like  sprays.     Moist 
shade,  preferably  well  drained. 


The  Wild  Garden  95 

*SPEEDWELL,  GREAT  VIRGINIAN  (Veronica  Firginica).  Pale  blue  or 
white.  August,  September;  6  feet.  For  rich  soils  fully  exposed  to 
the  sun.  Very  free  growing.  The  best  tall  blue  flower  of  late 
summer  for  full  sun. 

*SPIDERWORT  (Tradescantia  Firginica).  Blue.  Moist,  rich  places  in 
shade  or  sun.  (See  HERBACEOUS  PLANTS,  p.  229.) 

SPRING  BEAUTY  (Claytonia  Firginica).  Obscure  pink  flowers  in  summer. 
Spreading  plant  8  inches  high,  with  long,  tapering  leaves  of  bright 
green.  Moist  soils  in  rocky  bottoms,  and  especially  in  moist  leaf- 
mould  in  woods. 

SUN  DROPS  (CEnothera  fruticosd).  Yellow.  June  to  August;  I  to  3  feet. 
Dry,  exposed  soil  and  sand.  Common  in  New  England  meadows. 
A  small,  dense,  bush-like  shrub,  covered  with  inch-wide  flowers. 
Sometimes  a  weed. 

*SUNFLOWER  (Heliantbus  Maximilianus).  Yellow.  August  till  after 
frost;  8  to  10  feet.  Most  desirable  sunflower  for  naturalising 
because  of  its  great  height  and  extremely  late  season.  Individual 
flowers  are  small.  Grows  anywhere  not  a  swamp. 

SWEET  FERN  (Comptonia  asplenifolia).  Dwarf,  shrubby  plant,  with 
dark  green  foliage;  2  feet.  Best  plant  for  naturalising  on  sandy 
knolls  for  foliage  effect.  Deciduous. 

TANSY  (Tanacetum  vulgare).  Yellow;  i\  feet.  Flat  heads  of  small 
composite  flowers.  Common  along  roadsides,  mostly  escaped  from 
gardens.  One  of  the  old-time  simples.  The  flower  head  4  to  6 
inches  across.  July,  September. 

TRAILING  ARBUTUS  (Epigaa  repens).  Pale  rose.  May.  Creeper. 
A  very  difficult  plant  to  naturalise,  insisting  on  perfect  drainage 
in  a  dry,  sandy,  loamy  soil,  in  shade.  On  planting  protect  with  an 
inch  of  light  litter  or  leaves,  to  remain  for  a  whole  season.  Do  not 
attempt  this  plant  unless  you  have  the  exact  conditions. 

TRILLIUM.     See  WOOD-LILY. 

*ViOLET  (Viola  cucullata).  Violet  blue  or  purple  in  shades.  April  to 
June;  6  inches.  Damp  places,  mostly  shaded,  but  often  does  well 
in  semi-open  woods,  etc.  Best  of  all  the  native  violets,  with  largest 
flowers,  and  very  easy  to  naturalise  by  transplanting.  Root  tuberous. 

*VIRGINIA  COWSLIP  (Mertensia  Firginica).  Blue.  May,  June;  I  to  2 
feet.  Moist  soils  in  partial  shade.  Flowers  nodding. 

WAKEROBIN.     See  WOOD-LILY. 


96  The  American  Flower  Garden 

WHITE  SNAKEROOT  (Eupatorium  ageratoides).  White.  July  to  Novem- 
ber; 3  feet.  Profusely  flowering  in  loose  heads  over  very  long  season. 
Rich  woods. 

WILD  GINGER,  CANADA  SNAKEROOT  (Asarum  Canadense).  Curious 
brownish-purple  flowers  an  inch  or  more  across.  April,  May;  10  inches. 
Large  kidney-shaped  leaves.  Flowers  borne  close  to  the  ground. 
Rich,  shaded  woods,  or  with  ferns.  Leaves  appear  very  early. 

WILD  INDIGO  (Baptisia  tinctoria).  Yellow.  June  to  September;  i  to  2 
feet.  Dry  soils  in  sun  or  shade.  Invaluable  for  naturalising  on 
the  coast.  Flowers  pea-like. 

*WiLD  SWEET  WILLIAM  (Phlox  maculatd).  White  or  purple.  June  to 
August;  3  feet.  For  moist  woods  or  along  streams  and  in  open  sun. 
Flowers  in  compact  pyramids.  (See  also  ROCK  GARDEN,  p.  no.) 

*WlLLOW  HERB  (Epilobium  angusti folium).  Rose-purple.  July  to 
August;  3  to  5  feet.  For  rich  upland  or  well-drained  soil  in  open  sun. 
Flowers  loosely  borne  in  lax  spikes  at  end  of  shoots,  which  also 
branch.  One  of  the  best  plants  for  bold  effects,  spreading  freely. 

WINDFLOWER  (Anemone  nemorosa).  White,  tinged  purple.  April  to 
June;  2  to  4  inches.  Partial  shade.  Excellent  for  carpeting  and 
woodland  borders,  and  in  the  grass.  Solitary  flowers  I  inch  across, 
like  small  single  roses. (A.Pennsylvanica.)  White;  12  to  1 8  inches. 

WINTERGREEN  (Gaultberia  procumbent).  White,  followed  by  bright 
red  berries.  June  to  September;  2  to  6  inches.  A  low-growing 
evergreen,  with  bright  green  leaves.  For  woods.  Berries  last 
till  next  season.  Difficult  to  naturalise.  Treat  like  trailing  arbutus. 

WooD-LiLY,  WAKEROBIN  (Trillium  grandiflorum).  White.  May;  8 
inches  to  i|  feet.  For  woods  and  shaded  stream  borders.  The 
flower  is  two  inches  across,  carried  above  3-partite  leaf  on  single  stalk. 
Very  easy  to  naturalise.  Tuberous.  The  best  early  white  flower 
for  woods.  Plant  in  masses.  T.  erectum  has  dark  purple  flowers. 

*YARROW  (Achillea  Mi  lie  folium).  White.  Summer;  2  feet.  Flat  heads 
of  very  small  composite  flowers  on  erect  stalk  arising  from  tuft 
of  very  finely  cut  feathery  leaves.  Pungent  odor.  For  open  mead- 
ows and  all  sunny  places.  Var.  roseum  has  pink  flowers.  Most 
showy  plant  for  meadows. 

YELLOW-FRINGED  ORCHIS  (Habenaria  ciliaris).  Indian  yellow.  August, 
September;  2  feet.  Pyramids  of  fringed  flowers.  Bogs  or  moist 
meadows.  Very  easy  to  accommodate. 


THE  ROCK  GARDEN 


"An  artificial  rockery  is  usually  a  bit  oj  frankly  simple  make  believe.     Nine 
times  out  oj  ten  there  is  something  about  it  half  funny,  half  pathetic,  so  innocent, 
so  childish  is  its  absolute  failure  to  look  like  real  rocky  ground" 
•        ••••••••••••••• 

"/  would  have  everything  planted  in  longish  drifts ,  and  above  all  things 
it  should  be  planted  geologically;  the  length  of  the  drift  going  with  the  natural 
stratification  of  the  dell.  In  all  free  or  half-wild  garden  planting  good  and  dis- 
tinct effect  (though  apparent  and  enjoyable  to  every  beholder,  even  though  he  may 
not  perceive  why  it  is  right  and  good)  is  seldom  planned  or  planted  except  by  the 
garden  artist  who  understands  what  is  technically  known  as  "drawing"  But 
by  planting  with  the  natural  lines  of  stratification  we  have  only  to  follow  the 
splendid  drawing  of  nature  herself,  and  the  picture  cannot  fail  to  come  right" 

—  GERTRUDE  JEKYLL. 


CHAPTER    VII 

THE    ROCK   GARDEN 

A  PRETENTIOUS  pile  of  rickety  rocks  propped  with 
cobble  stones,  and  a  few  sickly,  sun-baked  plants 
straggling  over  them  in  a  meaningless  manner  —  this 
would  seem  to  be  the  prevailing  idea  of  a  rock  garden  in  too  many 
American  dooryards.  Yet  a  rock  garden,  treated  in  a  naturalistic 
and  practical  way,  and  fitted  into  the  surrounding  scene  as  if  it 
really  belonged  there,  may  be  the  most  charming  feature  of  a  place. 
Moreover,  it  may  become  the  refuge  of  many  unique  and  interest- 
ing plants  that  would  grow  nowhere  else,  or  of  others,  not  alpine, 
yet  that  thrive  best  among  deep,  cool,  moist  pockets  of  soil 
between  the  rocks  where  one  almost  never  sees  them  in  our 
over-conventional  gardens. 

If  there  are  no  rocks  on  one's  grounds,  nor  within  easy  hauling 
distance,  not  only  is  the  cost  of  making  a  rock  garden  a  serious 
matter,  but  the  artificiality  of  it  is  likely  to  be  so  apparent  as  to 
make  the  effort  scarcely  worth  while.  Only  the  Japanese  seem 
to  have  the  selecting  and  placing  of  garden  stones  reduced  to  an  art 
that  defies  detection.  Lives  there  the  American  who  would  make 
long  pilgrimages  to  the  mountains  to  secure  one  weather-worn  rock 
of  just  the  right  shape  and  tint  to  fit  into  his  garden  picture  ? 
Where  some  fine  rocks  in  a  desirable  situation  naturally  occur  on 
one's  grounds,  of  course  it  is  sheer  waste  not  to  use  them,  and 
painfully  inartistic  to  create  artificial  rockwork  unless  it  can  be  so 
skilfully  added  to  what  nature  offers  as  to  seem  to  be  a  part  of  her 
design.  Immense  sums  of  money  and  glorious  opportunities  for 

99 


100 


The  American  Flower  Garden 


beauty  have  been  wasted  in  blasting  and  burying  rocks  on  estates 
in  Connecticut  alone  in  order  to  make  "gentlemen's  country  seats" 
conform  with  conventional  methods  of  treatment  elsewhere.  Let 
no  one  deplore  the  possession  of  boulders,  outcropping  rocks, 
rocky  seams,  crevices,  and  ledges,  for  the  trained  imagination  of 
a  landscape  gardener  should  find  infinite  possibilities  of  beautifying 
them  at  a  fraction  of  the  cost  of  reducing  the  land  to  a  level  common- 
place. The  opportunity  to  preserve  the  land's  individuality,  no 
true  lover  of  nature  or  of  gardening  will  neglect.  One  of  the  most 
beautiful  estates  in  this  country  includes  an  abandoned  stone 
quarry,  now  transformed  by  the  subtle  and  sympathetic  art  of 
the  gardener  into  the  happy  home  of  myriads  of  rock-loving 
plants.  Your  true  gardener  never  spoils  nature:  he  trains  and 
develops  her. 

Since  the  situation  of  any  kind  of  a  garden  should  dominate 
the  whole  scheme  of  its  development,  few  hard  and  fast  rules  for 
the  making  of  a  rock  garden  can  be  laid  down.  However,  it  is 
certain  that  the  site  needs  to  be  selected  with  extra  care,  for  most 
of  the  failures  to  grow  alpines  and  other  rock-loving  plants  in  this 
country  have  resulted  from  attempting  to  copy  the  rockeries  of 
England  instead  of  adapting  them  to  our  drier,  more  sunny  and 
more  extremely  hot  and  cold  climate.  But  at  last  we  have  learned 
that  rocks  not  screened  from  the  sun  by  trees,  or  so  situated  on  a 
northern  slope  that  only  the  weaker  rays  of  morning  or  afternoon 
sunshine  slant  upon  them,  are  more  likely  to  scorch  or  scald  plants 
than  to  aid  their  growth.  We  may  not  attempt  to  naturalise  in 
exposed  and  sunny  situations  around  our  homes  those  charming 
little  cushions,  rosettes,  tufts  and  creeping  plants  from  the  cooler 
mountains  above  the  timber  line,  where  moisture-laden  clouds  and 
mists  almost  always  envelop  them.  Nor  will  alpine  plants,  however 


The  Rock  Garden  101 

carefully  guarded  from  our  mid-summer  sun  and  drought,  thrive 
in  a  situation  swept  by  the  wind. 

Evergreen  trees  make  the  best  wind-break  where  a  rock 
garden  cannot  be  planted  on  a  protected  hillside,  but  they  must 
be  kept  at  a  distance  where  the  roots  of  the  guardians  will  not  rob 
their  wards.  In  addition  to  the  taller  evergreens,  hemlocks,  pines, 
firs,  and  cedars,  that  are  useful  chiefly  as  a  sun  or  wind  screen  in  the 
background,  we  have  learned  to  utilise  the  broad-leaved  native 
evergreens  for  closer  shelter  —  rhododendrons,  laurel  and  bay, 
whose  fine  roots  never  forage  far;  and  to  punctuate  points  of 
greatest  interest,  or  exposure,  among  the  most  sensitive  plants,  with 
those  charming  little  dwarf  pines,  junipers,  thuyas  and  retinis- 
poras  from  Asia  that  nevertheless  seem  to  belong  to  our  rock 
gardens  by  every  natural  right.  In  the  lee  of  a  very  small  ever- 
green a  choice  alpine  plant  may  be  induced  to  live  contentedly, 
whereas,  without  the  shelter,  it  would  as  certainly  die  —  a  fact 
mentioned  in  this  connection  only  to  show  how  almost  any  desirable 
site,  however  exposed,  may  be  utilised  for  a  rock  garden  with  the 
help  of  proper  protecting  plants  and  trees. 

Rock  gardens  are  not  necessarily  made  on  natural  slopes  to 
simulate  a  bit  of  wild  mountainous  scenery  in  miniature,  although 
the  best  of  them  are.  Some  very  successful  ones  have  been  created 
on  what  was  once  level  land.  What  is  known  as  an  underground 
rockery  is  made  by  excavating  an  open  passage  down  into  the  soil 
and  banking  up  the  earth  on  either  side  of  the  cutting  as  fast  as  it 
is  dug,  all  the  top  soil  having  been  previously  removed  and  saved 
to  spread  over  the  banks  when  finally  graded,  and  to  place  in 
pockets  between  the  rocks  where  plants  are  to  be  set  in.  The 
width  of  several  feet  at  the  entrance  to  the  passage  may  be  varied 
and  increased  to  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  farther  on;  and  the  depth, 


102  The  American  Flower  Garden 

gradually  increasing  as  the  cutting  proceeds  and  then  diminishing 
again  toward  the  exit,  will  vary  according  to  the  amount  of  soil 
thrown  up  on  the  banks.  After  rocks  have  been  added  to  the 
slopes,  an  excavation  of  only  three  feet  may  make  a  total  depth  of 
six.  Of  course,  the  cutting  is  not  done  in  a  straight  line,  but  in  a 
gently  curving  one,  in  the  hope  of  creating  an  impression  of  natural- 
ness as  well  as  affording  a  variety  of  exposures  to  plants  of  varying 
needs.  The  marvel  is  that  such  an  absolute  fake  as  an  under- 
ground rock  garden  can  ever  be  convincing.  Needless  to  say,  it 
takes  an  artistic  genius  to  make  it  so.  Yet  there  is  a  rockery  of  this 
purely  artificial  type  at  Kew  Gardens,  London,  which  is  a  joy  to  all 
beholders;  another  good  one,  cut  into  a  bank  by  the  same  under- 
ground method  and  executed  by  a  former  Kew  man, 
thrives  on  the  grounds  of  Smith  College,  Massachusetts.  Many 
others  are  partly  natural  and  more  or  less  cut  out  underground; 
but  never  in  this  dry  land  of  ours  was  a  successful  rock  garden 
made  on  a  sunny  southern  slope,  where  the  rain  runs  rapidly  away 
or  evaporates,  unless  a  cascading  brook  or  water  introduced  by 
pipes  among  the  rocks  keeps  up  a  never  failing  supply  of  moisture. 
So  much  of  the  success  of  a  rock  garden,  cultural  as  well  as 
artistic,  depends  upon  the  placing  of  the  stones,  that  one  needs  to 
proceed  almost  as  cautiously  as  a  Japanese  extremist.  Of  course, 
the  fundamental  idea  of  a  rock  garden  is  to  suggest  a  natural,  rocky 
slope  such  as  is  seen  on  the  mountain  sides  where  alpine  plants  have 
their  origin,  but  with  its  excellences  condensed  into  a  small  area, 
its  beauties  emphasised  by  art  and  the  number  of  its  desirable 
plants  greatly  increased.  Such  a  scene,  however,  will  be  of  short- 
lived beauty  unless  the  best  possible  situation  and  soil  for  every 
plant  that  one  attempts  to  grow  have  been  given  it.  It  is  better  to 
devote  one's  first  thought  to  providing  a  healthful  home  for  the 


A  SUGGESTIVE   ENTRANCE  TO  A  ROCK  GARDEN 


The  Rock  Garden  103 

plants  and  then  reconcile  it  with  the  loveliest  pictorial  effect 
possible.  The  thoughtful  gardener  will  never  pile  one  stone  upon 
another  without  a  sufficient  stratum  of  earth  in  the  sandwich  to 
nourish  a  stonecrop,  creeping  phlox,  or  hardy  candytuft  (Iberis) 
that  hangs  its  snow-laden  stems  well  over  rocky  ledges.  He  will 
see  that  every  rock  not  only  rests  in  deep  good  soil  and  within  a 
generous  area  of  it,  but  that  a  pocket  of  loam  made  rich,  light  and 
cool  with  decayed  vegetable  matter  —  not  manure  —  is  provided 
wherever  a  plant  is  to  be  set  out.  Rhododendrons,  laurel,  azaleas 
and  orchids  delight  in  a  cool,  moist,  peaty  soil,  and  so  do  most 
ferns  and  lilies;  primroses  want  leaf-mould;  true  alpines  crave 
crushed  rock  or  gravel  mixed  with  it;  the  cross-bearing  tribe  and 
composites  make  the  most  of  any  good  loamy  soil,  for  they  are  not 
fastidious;  hardy  cacti,  sedums,  mossy  and  starry  saxifrages,  live 
forever  and  other  more  or  less  succulent  plants,  whose  deep  roots 
enable  them  to  endure  the  sunniest  situations,  may  be  given  a 
rather  sandy  soil  without  offence.  Stagnant  moisture  about  its 
roots  no  plant  will  endure,  but  then  the  very  nature  of  a  rock  garden 
usually  insures  good  drainage.  Not  even  a  skunk  cabbage  will 
thrive  in  sour  soil.  Sweetness  and  light  are  more  essential  in  a 
garden  than  in  Matthew  Arnold's  essays. 

Clinkers,  shells,  masses  of  scoriae  and  masonry  in  a  rockery 
could  be  tolerated  only  where  the  insensate  owner  would  feel  equal 
satisfaction  in  seeing  a  picket  fence  around  it.  In  no  other  part  of 
the  home  grounds,  perhaps,  is  the  suggestion  of  artificiality  to  be 
more  studiously  avoided.  Walls,  fences,  lanterns,  benches  and 
other  man-made  objects  should  not  be  seen  from  it.  Even  a 
macadam  road  through  it,  if  necessary,  is  deplorable.  A  formal 
path  quite  as  effectually  spoils  a  scene  which  should  be  entirely 
naturalistic,  simple  and  picturesque.  Flat,  irregular  stepping- 


104  The  American  Flower  Garden 

stones,  sunk  to  the  level  of  the  surrounding  soil,  with  ferns,  mosses, 
or  little  creeping  plants  overgrowing  their  edges,  make  the  ideal 
path.  Pebbles  loosely  scattered  over  an  earth  walk  of  flowing 
outline  keep  the  feet  dry,  and  if  the  edges  of  the  path  are  broken 
irregularly  by  rocks  over  which  little  creepers  steal  out  into  the 
open,  they  give  no  offence  to  a  critical  eye.  Whenever  steps 
are  necessary  —  and  broken  levels  that  add  so  much  to  the  charm 
of  any  garden  have  most  reason  to  exist  where  rocks  cause  many 
uneven  surfaces  —  let  them  be  made,  like  the  path,  of  flat  surfaced 
stones  deeply  imbedded  in  the  earth,  or  grouted  in  cement,  if  there 
be  danger  of  frost  throwing  them  out  of  position.  Steps  of  cedar 
or  locust  logs,  that  will  not  rot  on  the  ground  for  many  years,  are 
also  harmonious,  but  these,  like  the  rocky  steps  and  stepping-stones 
in  the  path,  should  be  unequally  spaced  and  surrounded  by  good 
soil  that  will  encourage  little  plants  to  grow  close  about  them  and 
partially  conceal  their  outlines.  One  feature  of  a  rock  garden  in  a 
large  public  park  which  should  serve  as  a  warning  to  all  beholders, 
is,  unfortunately,  mistaken  for  an  example.  Rows  of  sharply 
pointed  rocks,  like  a  gigantic  set  of  false  teeth,  are  set  along  the 
path  with  a  profusion  of  mixed  magenta  and  scarlet  portulacas 
among  them  only  adding  to  the  horror.  After  a  long  series  of 
eliminations  from  gardens,  public  and  private,  one  finally  learns 
at  least  what  not  to  do. 

Nearly  every  rock  garden  has  too  much  rock  in  evidence. 
Plant  it  out!  Allow  only  glimpses  of  it  here  and  there, 
unless  some  fine  great  boulders,  undraped  by  vines,  or  un- 
clothed by  polypodies,  or  unscreened  by  dwarf  evergreens,  add  a 
touch  of  nobility  to  the  too  sweet  beauty  of  the  picture  you 
are  trying  to  create. 

The  trace  of  a  cutting  tool  on  rocks  can  easily  destroy  all 


The  Rock  Garden  105 

semblance  of  naturalness.  Chiselled  surfaces  should  never  be 
exposed  to  view.  Sandstone  makes,  perhaps,  the  most  desirable 
setting  for  plants,  but  any  rocks  or  boulders  that  belong  to  the 
region  where  the  garden  is  situated  are  always  the  ones  to  use. 
Some  will  surely  be  chosen  for  the  sake  of  the  mosses  and  lichens 
upon  them.  Exquisite  mosses  can  be  cut  in  squares  from  the 
woods,  like  sods  from  a  lawn,  and  successfully  transplanted  to 
carpet  shady  banks  as  if  with  deep  green  plush. 

What  shall  be  planted  in  the  rock  garden?  That  depends 
upon  whether  it  is  to  be  made  in  Maine  or  California,  on  a  rich 
man's  large  estate  or  on  the  home  acre  of  an  impecunious  plant- 
lover  who  is  his  own  gardener.  From  the  list  that  follows  this 
chapter  every  one  may  make  the  selection  best  suited  to  his  needs, 
but  in  a  general  way  it  may  be  said  that  the  most  expert  gardener 
will  find  a  fascinating  hobby  to  tax  his  skill  in  attempting  to  grow 
the  rarer  alpine  plants;  that  no  better  environment  for  many  of 
our  loveliest  wild  flowers,  ferns,  mosses,  lichens  and  exquisitely 
tinted  toadstools  and  fungi  can  be  secured  than  that  of  a  rock 
garden,  where  they  properly  belong;  and  that  while  many  bulbs, 
such  as  scillas,  chionodoxas,  single  narcissus  and  daffodils  may 
fittingly  be  naturalised  among  the  rocks,  such  prim,  formal  flowers 
as  tulips  and  hyacinths  look  out  of  place  in  a  purely  naturalistic 
setting. 

Water  and  rocks  have  been  closely  associated  in  people's 
minds  since  the  miracle  of  Moses,  and  if  they  can  be  in  the  garden, 
too,  the  most  charming  results  are  possible.  A  brook,  a  pool,  or 
a  little  cascade  splashing  its  refreshing  drops  over  the  mossy  rocks 
where  harebells,  ferns,  irises,  cardinal  flowers,  trilliums  and  marsh 
marigolds  delight  in  them,  would  suggest  the  easy  transition  from 
earth-loving  plants  to  those  of  the  bog  and  to  true  aquatics.  Such 


io6  The  American  Flower  Garden 

a  gradual  transition,  wherever  there  is  the  opportunity  to  have  it, 
insures  more  varied  loveliness  than  the  unaided  imagination  can 
grasp.  But  that  is  another  story. 

FOUNDATION  PLANTS  FOR  THE  ROCK  GARDEN 

The  flowering  season  given  is  that  of  New  York. 

ADONIS,  SPRING  (Adorns  vernalis).  Yellow.  April.  Sun.  (Seep.  216.) 
ANEMONE,  JAPAN  (Anemone  Japonica).  Rose,  white.  Single  and 

double.     August,  October;   2  to  4  feet.     For  named  varieties  see 

trade  lists.     Flowers  2   inches  across,  like  single  roses.     Best  late 

flower  for   cutting.     Partial    shade.     ,  WOOD    (A.    sylvestris). 

White,  flowering  in  spring,  is  similar.          — ,  ST.  BRIGID  (A.  coro- 

naria,    var.    St.    Brigid).     Various    colours,  except    clear    yellow. 

April;  6   to   8    inches.     Finely  cut  foliage.     Like  gigantic  double 

buttercups.     Most  valuable  species  for  the  garden.     Responds  to 

high   cultivation. ,  PASQUE    FLOWER  (A.  Pulsatilla).     Blue. 

April;  6  inches.    Flower  ij  inches  long,  with  numerous  long  brown 

hairs  outside.     Largest  early  blue  flower  for  the  rock  garden. 
ASTER    (Aster  Nov<z-Anglia).      Purple. (var.    rosed).      Rose. 

(A.  lavis).     White.      Best  daisy-like  flowers  for  late  bloom. 

Variable.     Sun.     i  foot  up.     (See  page  88.) 
BABY'S    BREATH    (Gypsophila    paniculata).     White.     August;    2    feet. 

Very  small  flowers  in  loose  panicles.     For  shade  or  sun.     Good 

soil.     (See  page  216.) 
BEARD  TONGUE  (Pentstemon  barbatus).     Red.    July;  2  feet.     Sun.     In 

loose  panicles.     Flowers   I   inch  long.     One  of  the  best  summer 

flowers.     (See  p.  217.) 
BELLFLOWER    (Campanula    Carpatica).     Blue.     July;     I     foot.      Sun. 

,  BLUEBELL    (C.    rotund  i  folia).     Pale  blue.     Sun.     6   inches. 

These  are  among  the  very  best  of  all  the  blue  flowers.     Easily 

grown,  whereas  the  rock  gentians  are  difficult.     (See  p.  217.) 
BLOODROOT.     See  BULBOUS  AND  TUBEROUS  PLANTS,  p.  273. 
BLUE  BELLS  (Mertensia  pulmonarwides).    Blue.    April;  ij  feet.    Shade. 

(See  VIRGINIA  COWSLIP,  p.  230.) 
BLUE    LEADWORT  (Ceratostigma  plumbaginoides).     Blue.     September. 

Creeping.     Sun.     Best  creeping  blue  flower  of  summer.     Like  a 

phlox.     (See  p.  224.) 


YELLOW,  ORANGE  AND  WHITE  PERENNIAL  ICELAND  POPPIES  OF  TISSUE  TEXTURE 
ALONG   THE    STEPS    THROUGH    A    ROCK    GARDEN 


The  Rock  Garden  107 

BLUE  SAGE  (Salviaazurea).    Blue.    August,  September;  I  to  5  feet.    Sun. 

Flowers  varying  to  white.     Light,  sandy  soil.      Protect  in  winter. 

BUGLE-WEED  (Ajuga  reptans).     Blue.     May.     Sun.     Rich  soil.     (See 

P.  218.) 

CANDYTUFT    (Iberis    sempervirens).     White.     April;     4    inches.     Sun. 
Makes  tuft  of  dazzling  white  in  early  summer  after  phlox.     (See 

P-  570 
COLUMBINE    (Aquilegia    Canadensis).     Red.     April;    8    to    10    inches. 

Sun  and  rocky  slopes.     Invaluable.     ,  FEATHERED  (Thalictrum 

aquilegifolium).    Pink.    July;  6  inches  to  2  feet.    Sun.    Rich,  moist 

soil.     Daintily  cut  foliage,  with   foam-like    flowers.      (See  p.  220.) 
CRANESBILL,    MEADOW    (Geranium    pratense).     Light     purple.     April, 

August.     I    to    2    feet.     Shade. ,    RED     (G.     sanguineuni). 

Red.     August;  I  to  2  feet.     Sun. ,  SPOTTED  (G.  maculatuni). 

Pink.     May;  i  to  2  feet.     Shade.     Flat  flowers;  I  to  ^  inches  across. 

Common  wild  plants. 
CROCUS,    AUTUMN     (Colchicum    autumnale).     Purple.     September;     4 

inches.     Sun.     Invaluable  for  late  flower.     Blooms  without  leaves. 

(See  p.  274.) 
DAFFODIL  (Narcissus  Bulbocodium).     Yellow,  lemon.     April;  4  inches. 

Sun.      This    is    the    hoop-petticoat.      Other    very    small-flowered 

species  of  Narcissus  may  be  used,  but  are  difficult  to  handle. 
EDELWEISS     (Leonto podium     alpinum).      Yellow.      June,     July;     4   to 

12  inches.     Sun.     Small  woolly  flowers  in   star-like   clusters,  with 

very    hairy    bracts.      Leaves    also     densely    covered    with    white 

hair.     Well-drained,   medium-light   soil,  in   full  sun.     Raise  from 

seed. 
EVENING    PRIMROSE    ((Enothera    Missouri ensis).      Yellow.     June;    18 

inches.     Sun.     (See  p.  22 1.) 
'ALSE  GOAT'S    BEARD    (Astilbe    Japonica,    var.    compacta).     White. 

May;  I  foot.     Shade.      (See  pp.  222,  229.) 
'ORGET-ME-NoT    (Myosotis  palustris).     Blue.     April;   6  inches.     Sun. 

The  most  pleasing  small  blue  flower,  with  long  season.     Any  soil. 

(See  p.  221.) 
'OXGLOVE  (Digitalis  purpurea).     Purple.     June;  3  feet.     Shade.     Rich, 

loose,  moist  soil. ,  PERENNIAL  (D.  ambigua).     Yellow.     June. 

Shade.     Not  nearly  as  beautiful  as  the  common. 


io8  The  American  Flower  Garden 

GOLDENTUFT  (Alyssum  saxatile).  Yellow.  April,  May.  Most  pro- 
lific small  yellow  flower  of  spring.  Blooms  intermittently  all 
season.  Self  sows.  Avoid  heavy  clay  soil.  Sun. 

HORNED  VIOLET  (Viola  cornuta).  April  till  frost.  Violet.  Tufted 
plant.  Flower  like  small  pansy.  Any  good  soil.  Sun  or  half 
shade. 

JACOB'S  LADDER  (Polemonium  reptans).  Light  blue.  May;  I  foot. 
Shade.  Flowers  half  inch  across  in  loose  panicle.  Much  attacked 
by  snails,  especially  in  winter.  Raise  from  seed  in  fall.  Rich, 
deep,  loamy  soil. 

LILY-OF-THE-VALLEY    (Convallaria   majalis).    White.     May.     Shade. 
(See  p.  278.) 

MIST  FLOWER  (Conoclinium  calestinum).  Blue.  September,  October; 
I  to  2  feet.  Sun.  Flat-topped  clusters  on  leafy  stems.  Any  soil. 
Protect  slightly. 

Moss  PINK,  CREEPING  PHLOX  (Phlox  sululata).  Rose,  lavender,  white. 
April,  May;  2  inches.  Cheapest  and  showiest  carpeting  plant  for 
spring  bloom.  Rocks  or  soil,  sun  or  shade.  Named  varieties 
have  refined  colours.  The  common  wild  form  is  a  harsh  magenta. 

MOTHER-OF-THYME  (Thymus  Serpylluni).  Pink.  May;  4  inches. 
Sun.  Fragrant  foliage.  For  dry,  poor  soil.  Evergreen. 

MOUNTAIN  SPURGE  (Pacbysandra  procumbens).  White  to  purplish. 
May,  June;  6  to  12  inches.  Shade.  Shrubby.  Large,  dark-green 
leaves.  Excellent  for  carpeting  under  trees.  Any  soil. 

PLANTAIN  LILY  (Funkia  cordifolia  and  subcordata).  White,  blue 
August.  Shade.  (See  p.  63.) 

POPPY,  ICELAND  (Papaver  nudicale).  White,  yellow,  orange,  red.  May; 
I  foot.  Sun.  Raise  from  seed  where  it  is  to  flower.  Well-drained 
soil  in  sun.  (P.  alpinum).  Similar.  (See  p.  227.) 

PRICKLY  PEAR  (Opuntia  Rafinesquti).  Yellow.  June;  4  inches.  Sun. 
Exposed  rocky  ledges.  (See  p.  227.) 

PRIMROSE,  ENGLISH  (Primula  vulgaris).  Pale  yellow.  April;  4  inches. 
Shade.  Cool,  moist,  but  thoroughly  drained  soil.  Protect  in 

winter.     ,  COWSLIP  (P.  officinalis).     Bears  smaller  flowers  in  a 

cluster   on    a   long   stalk.     Slightly  darker.     ,     POLYANTHUS 

(P.  polyantha).     Like   the   true    primrose,  but    in  great  variety  of 
colours. 


The  Rock  Garden  109 

ROCK  CRESS,  WHITE  (Arabis  albidd).  White,  fragrant.  May;  4  to  6 
inches.  Cheapest  and  showiest  spring-blooming  white-flowered 
plant  for  carpeting  the  ground.  Do  not  confuse  with  alpina, 

having    smaller    flowers    and    otherwise    inferior.     ,    PURPLE 

(Auorietia  deltoidea).  Purple.  June,  July;  3  inches.  Moist  or 
dry  places.  Best  in  rich  soil  in  pockets  to  keep  roots  cool. 
Unusual  colour.  Needs  slight  protection. 

SAXIFRAGE,  PYRAMIDAL  (Saxifraga  Cotyledon).  Great  silvery  rosettes 
of  leaves  and  pyramidal  inflorescence  20  inches  high,  of  small 
white  flowers.  May,  July.  Largest  and  showiest  of  the 
family.  To  get  the  largest  specimens  remove  the  offsets.  Excel- 
lent for  rockeries.  ,  THICK-LEAVED  (S.  crassifolia).  Pink. 

April;  6  to  8  inches.  Sun.  Massive  coarse  foliage  and  flowers 
in  dense,  branching  heads;  3  to  4  inches  long.  (See  also  LONDON 
PRIDE,  p.  61.) 

SEA  LAVENDER  (Statice  lati folia).  Lavender.  June;  18  inches.  Sun. 
Any  soil.  Very  effective.  Small  flowers  in  profuse  spreading 
spikes.  For  background.  Do  not  disturb.  Deep  soil. 

SEA  PINK  (Armeria  maritimd).  Pink.  May,  June;  3  to  6  inches.  Sun. 
Flowers  in  dense  heads  above  tufts  of  evergreen  foliage.  Any  soil. 
Propagate  by  seed  or  division. 

SELF-HEAL  (Brunella  grandiftora).  Dull  purple.  June  to  July;  8  to  12 
inches.  Half  shade.  Flower  heads  carried  above  the  mass  of 
foliage.  Avoid  dry  soil.  Also  for  carpeting. 

SHOOTING  STAR  (Dodecatbeon  Meadia).  Pink.  April;  I  foot.  Shade. 
Ouster  of  flowers  surmounting  long  stalk.  Open,  well-drained  soil, 
moderately  rich.  Give  northern  or  eastern  aspect. 

SHOWY  SEDUM  (Sedum  spectabile).  Pink.  August;  18  inches.  Sun. 
One  of  the  best  summer  flowers  for  dry,  shallow  soil.  (See  p.  228.) 

SILVERTUFT  (Alyssum  argenteum).  Yellow.  April  and  all  summer; 
I  foot.  In  clustered  heads.  Sunny  places  with  deep  soil. 

SNOW-IN-SUMMER    (Cerastium   tomentosuni).     White.     June;    8    inches. 

Smothered  with  flowers   I   inch  across.     Silvery  foliage  attractive 

all  season.     Fine  for  edgings  and  naturalising  on  rocks  or  in  strong 

grass.     Drought  resister. 
STORE'S  ASTER  (Stokesia    cyaned).     Blue.     August.     ,  (var.  alba). 

White.     Largest  thistle-like  flower  for  rockeries;  6  inches.     Sun. 


no  The  American  Flower  Garden 

STONE  CROP  (Sedum  bybridum,  and  others).  Yellow.  July;  3  inches. 
Sun.  Succulent  plants  making  rosettes  of  thick,  fleshy  foliage.  For 

shallow  ledges,  growing  in  almost  no  soil  at  all. (S.  album). 

White.  July. ,  LOVE-£NTANGLE  (S.  sex  angular e).  Yellow. 

SWEET  ALYSSUM  (Alyssum  maritimum).  White;  4  inches.  Easiest  white 
flower  to  grow  for  carpeting  and  edging.  Blooms  all  summer  on 
lengthening  stems.  Rocky  ledges. 

SWEET  WILLIAM,  WILD  (Phlox  divaricatd).  Blue.  May;  i  to  J  feet. 
Sun.  Moist  and  well-drained  soils.  (See  p.  96). 

TOAD  LILY  (Trier ytis  birta.)  Brownish.  Half  shade.  September;  I 
to  2  feet.  Flowers  on  erect,  leafy  stems.  One  of  tbe  latest  bloom- 
ers. Light,  sandy  loam;  Well  drained.  Var.  nigra  blooms  earlier. 

WOOLLY  WOUNDWORT  (Stack ys  lanata).  Pink.  July;  6  inches.  Sun. 
Valuable  for  the  silvery  foliage  edging.  Ordinary  soil. 

YARROW  (Achillea  M  tile  folium).  White;  var.  roseum  pink.  September; 
I  to  2  feet.  Sun.  Good  soil. 


THE  WATER  GARDEN 


"The  opportunity  to  introduce  such  elaborate  fountains  and  combinations 
o)  pools  and  cascades  as  are  seen  abroad  does  not  often  occur  in  this  country;  and 
where  water  is  used,  some  regard  must  generally  be  paid  to  the  presence  of  the 
water-metre.  A  pool  or  basin  of  standing  water,  as  in  the  old  Egyptian  gardens, 
will,  however,  serve  to  grow  aquatic  plants,  and  to  add  that  touch  of  life  to  the 
scene  which  can  best  be  given  by  reflections  from  the  surface  of  a  pool.  Indeed, 
the  charming  effects  that  can  be  obtained  at  comparatively  slight  expense  by  the 
judicious  use  of  a  small  basin  make  water  one  of  the  most  useful  accessories  of 
the  garden."  —  GUY  LOWELL. 


CHAPTER   VIII 

THE    WATER    GARDEN 

WATER  in  a  landscape  is  as  a  mirror  to  a  room — the 
feature  that   doubles  and  enhances  all  its  charms. 
Whoever   may  possess  a  lake,  a  pond   or  a  pool  to 
catch  the  sunbeams,  duplicate  the  trees  and  flowers  on  its  bank, 
reflect  the  moon,  and  multiply  the  stars,  surely  will.     A  distinct 
ind  delightful  class  of  plants  may  then  be  added  to  one's  place. 

Where  may  one  hope  to  have  a  water  garden?    Anywhere! 
"or  a  wash-tub,  sunk  in  a  city  back  yard,  would  hold  at  least  one 
the  pastel-tinted  water-lilies.     Even  a  rain  barrel  under  the 
'ater-spout  of  a  farm  house  has  grown  quantities  of  water  hya- 
cinths that  sent  up  spires  of  porcelain-blue  blossoms  throughout 
the  summer;  but  only  this  plant  that  can  anchor  its  peculiar  roots 
irmly  enough  to  resist  the  sudden  downpour  of  thunderstorms 
id  has  vigour  enough  to  choke  the  river  Amazon  should  be  chosen 
>r  such  a  place. 

One  charming  little  water  garden  was  planted  in  kerosene 
>il  barrels.    First  they  were  sawed  in  half,  then  set  fire  to  within, 
presently  turned  open  end  downward  on  the  ground  to  extinguish 
ic  flames  after  the  oil  was  consumed,  and  then  sunk  to  their  depth 
the  earth  at  different  intervals  and  levels  in  a  sheltered,  sunny 
>t;  the  perfect  circle  of  their  basins  concealed  by  irregularly 
placed  stones  with  the  everywhere  useful  creeping  phlox,  candytuft, 
the  dwarf  bamboo  and  Japanese  iris  growing  between  them.    And 
the  whole  ten  tubs,  each  slowly  dripping  its  overflow  into  another 
through  little  concrete  gutters  cleverly  hidden  under  the  stones,  were 

"3 


The  American  Flower  Garden 

supplied  with  a  stream  of  water  smaller  than  a  lead  pencil,  from  the 
house  main.  The  zealous  amateur  who  a  few  years  ago  proudly 
displayed  in  her  oil  barrels  some  of  the  choicest  Marliac  water 
lilies,  of  as  varied  tints  as  a  debutante's  party  dresses,  her  brilliant 
water  poppies  and  the  feathery  papyrus  plant  of  the  Egyptians, 
now  invites  your  admiration  of  her  superb  pink  Indian  lotuses  that 
thrive  in  six  half-hogsheads.  If  she  might  sink  the  hull  of  the 
Great  Eastern  in  her  little  sunny  lawn  and  grow  the  Victoria  regia 
therein  perhaps  her  ambition  would  be  still  unsatisfied. 

Even  where  the  smallest  stream  of  running  water  cannot  be 
had  —  and  constantly  running  water  is  not  desirable  except  in  large 
ponds  —  there  is  no  danger  of  mosquitoes  breeding  in  tubs  and 
barrels  if  these  are  flushed  out  with  a  hose  once  a  week.  But, 
of  course,  the  ideal  spot  for  a  water  garden  is  an  otherwise  worthless, 
boggy  piece  of  low  land  through  which  a  sluggish  stream  finds 
its  way.  Nothing  remains  but  to  clear  the  land  of  stumps,  brush 
and  the  rankest  weeds,  to  dam  the  stream  and  plant  your  pond. 
Nature  has  been  working  for  you  during  the  centuries. 

Your  true  landscape  gardener  will  cherish  the  alder  bushes, 
osier  willows,  tulip  trees,  tamarack  and  swamp  maples  on  the 
banks,  magnolia,  wild  azalea,  meadow  sweet,  button-bushes, 
superbum  lilies,  boneset,  yes,  and  even  the  tall,  stalwart  "cat  tail" 
bulrushes.  Like  wild  rice,  arrow-head,  pickerel  weed,  wild  iris 
and  sedges,  the  rushes,  that  rise  in  phalanxes  on  the  margins  of 
the  pond,  are  content  to  stand  either  on  the  shore  or  with  their 
feet  in  water.  Study  the  work  of  the  best  Japanese  artists  if  you 
would  realise  the  decorative  value  of  such  plants.  Politely  but 
firmly  will  the  landscape  gardener,  who  has  not  mistaken  his  calling, 
overrule  his  patron's  suggestion  to  have  a  shaven  lawn  come  down 
to  the  water's  edge,  knowing  that  it  would  strike  as  false  a  note  of 


A  BROOK,  FALLING  DOWN  THE  SWARD  BETWEEN  TREES  AND  BUSHES  AND  CLUMPY 
GROWTHS,  MAY  BE  INDUCED  BY  A  DAM  TO  OVERFLOW  A  BIT  OF  LOW-LYING  MEADOW  AND 
BECOME  THE  PRINCIPAL  FACTOR  IN  A  WATER  GARDEN 


The  Water  Garden  115 

artificiality  in  a  naturalistic  picture  as  a  concrete  curb.  Nor  may 
the  man  who  merely  pays  indulge  a  fancy  for  little  dumpy  islands 
that  would  give  an  effect  something  like  a  fly-specked  looking-glass 
to  the  mirror-like  surface  of  the  pond.  One  might  think  that 
rhododendrons  would  look  well  anywhere,  but  perhaps  no  other 
plant  is  so  unsuited  to  small  islands,  which  they  seem  to  trans- 
form into  dumplings. 

Oftentimes  the  beauty  of  plants  already  growing  about  the  , 
site  of  a  proposed  pond  should  determine  the  shape  of  it.  How 
well  worth  while  to  let  a  little  promontory  jut  out  into  the  water 
in  order  to  save  a  fine  clump  of  white  birches  backed  by  hemlocks; 
to  leave  as  an  island,  if  the  pond  be  large  enough,  the  colony  of 
clethra  and  andromeda  bushes  where  Maryland  yellow-throats 
have  had  their  happy  home  for  generations;  to  indent  the  shore 
where  the  water  of  a  little  bay  might  refresh  trilliums,  spring 
beauties,  marsh  marigolds,  Virginia  cowslip  and  royal  fern 
(Osmunda)  that  would  certainly  perish  through  too  drastic  drain- 
ing. An  indented  shore  line  increases  the  apparent  size  of  a  pond,  1 
besides  affording  more  margin  for  planting.  In  any  case,  a  flowing, 
irregular  outline  is  always  preferable  to  the  perfect  ellipses  and 
circles  suggesting  geometry  problems  writ  in  water. 

One  of  the  most  delightful  by-products  of  a  pond  —  to  use 
a  commercial  phrase  —  may  be  a  bog  garden.  "Nature's 
sanctuary,"  it  will  be  remembered,  was  Thoreau's  name  for  the 
swamp  about  Walden  pond  where  he  found  some  of  her  loveliest 
treasures  hidden.  There  is  the  ordinary  bog  of  plain  black  muck, 
semi-fluid  and  bottomless,  yet  not  without  its  gifts  of  cardinal  flower, 
viburnum,  silky  dogwood,  blue  lobelia,  Joe  Pye  weed,  elm-leaved 
goldenrod,  convolvulus  and  hosts  of  other  lovely  wild  shrubs  and 
flowers;  but  it  is  in  the  sphagnum  bog,  where  for  ages  the  moss 


n6  The  American  Flower  Garden 

has  grown  and  decomposed,  slowly  piling  layer  on  layer,  that  the 
interesting  insectivorous  plants  have  their  home  —  pitcher  plants, 
Venus's  fly-trap,  butter-wort,  sundew,  and  many  of  the  shyest, 
loveliest  orchids.  Water  in  a  sphagnum  bog  is  the  purest  of  the 
pure,  containing  no  bacteria,  and  as  its  moss  is  so  poor  in  nitrogen 
we  now  understand  why  some  of  its  denizens  must  either  get  that 
element  through  an  insect  diet,  or,  like  the  bog-loving  members 
of  the  heath  and  orchid  families,  secure  their  nourishment  from 
decaying  organic  matter.  Which  is  to  say  that  they,  in  common 
with  the  ghoulish  Indian  pipe,  pine  sap  and  mushrooms  are  what 
botanists  call  "partial  saprophites"  -a  far  more  respectable  class 
than  out  and  out  parasites  to  which  the  murderous  mistletoe  and 
dodder  belong. 

In  the  making'bf  a  wholly  artificial  pond  of  any  considerable 
size  that  is  desired  to  have  the  appearance  of  a  natural  sheet  of 
water,  so  much  digging  and  grading  will  be  necessary,  so  much 
mixing  of  cement  or  puddling  of  clay  to  make  a  water-tight  layer 
on  the  bottom  and  sides  of  it,  so  much  preparation  of  good,  rich, 
heavy  soil  for  planting  in,  that  only  the  most  zealous  lover  of 
aquatic  plants  should  attempt  one;  only  a  rich  man  can  afford  one, 
and  no  one  less  than  a  genius  can  give  an  entirely  artificial  water-  \ 
garden  the  semblance  of  sincerity  and  perfect  naturalness.  A 
natural  hollow  in  the  land,  deep  enough  to  allow  the  addition  of 
more  than  a  foot  of  rich  soil,  will  save  an  excavator's  bill;  a 
spring  or  any  water  supply  in  the  vicinity  that  will  prevent 
a  plumber's  longer  bill  for  piping  is  a  boon,  and  the  presence 
of  a  bed  of  pure  clay  for  puddling  the  pond  will  also  save 
dollars  that  one  would  so  much  more  gladly  give  for  shrubs, 
hardy  flowers  and  water  lilies  than  for  cement. 

After  the  gently  curving  outline  of  an  artificial  pond  has  been 


The  Water  Garden  117 

staked  out,  it  will  probably  be  necessary  to  use  a  spirit  level  and 
straight  edge  to  fix  the  grade  for  levelling  the  bottom;  perhaps  a 
surveyor's  instrument  may  be  needed  if  the  pond  is  to  have  a  greater 
diameter  than  a  hundred  feet.  Small  water  gardens  can  have 
charms  out  of  all  proportion  to  their  size  and  expense,  let  it  be 
remembered.  As  the  roots  of  water  lilies  must  never  be  allowed 
to  freeze,  the  depth  of  the  pond  they  are  to  be  planted  in  will  be 
determined  by  the  thickness  of  the  ice,  if  any,  that  is  likely  to  form 
over  it.  It  is  certainly  desirable  that  the  water  should  be  as 
shallow  as  possible,  usually  not  deeper  than  two  feet,  not  only 
because  the  sun  will  keep  it  warmer,  but  because  much  digging  will 
be  saved.  Then,  too,  the  rubber-booted  gardener  should  be  able 
to  wade  out  to  every  plant  in  case  of  need.  For  this  reason  the 
practical  person  will  advocate  the  planting  of  water  lily  and  lotus 
roots  in  tubs  or  boxes  and  sinking  them,  rather  than  setting  them 
out  in  the  enriched  bottom  of  the  pond  itself  where  they  may  spread 
at  will.  If  the  entire  bottom  of  a  pond  be  covered  to  the  depth  of 
fifteen  or  eighteen  inches  with  rich,  heavy  soil,  the  cost  is  naturally 
considerably  greater  than  when  only  the  small  area  planted,  or 
the  tubs  that  contain  the  tubers  and  rhizomes  of  aquatic  plants, 
need  be  supplied  with  it.  Moreover,  the  rubber  boot  is  sure  to 
damage  roots  that  roam  at  large,  and,  by  stirring  up  muck  and 
rubbish  from  the  bottom,  it  fouls  the  water. 

Since  much  water  is  necessarily  lost  from  a  pond  every  day 
by  evaporation  and  the  transpiration  of  the  plants,  it  is  essential 
that  little  or  none  should  be  lost  by  leakage,  particularly  if  the 
water  supply  be  not  abundant.  An  ordinary  day  labourer  can  mix 
pure  clay  in  a  mason's  shallow,  wooden  mortar-box,  chop  it  with  a 
spade  if  it  be  lumpy,  sparingly  moisten  and  then  pound  it  with  a 
wooden  maul  until  it  is  of  the  proper  consistency  to  be  beaten  on  to 


n8  The  American  Flower  Garden 

the  sides  and  bottom  of  the  pond  to  the  depth  of  three  or  four  inches. 
After  it  has  been  well  tamped,  let  him  tamp  it  yet  again.  A  coating 
of  beach  sand  and  pebbles  over  the  clay  bottom  is  desirable  where 
they  may  be  had.  Spread  over  the  soil  in  the  bottom  of  any 
pond,  natural  or  artificial,  they  prevent  the  manure  and  other 
rubbish  from  rising  through  the  water,  which  should  be  clear  as  a 
mirror  always. 

Cement  will  be  used  where  there  is  no  clay  available  for 
lining  the  artificial  pond,  especially  where  the  soil  is  naturally 
sandy  and  mixed  with  gravel,  through  which  Niagara  itself 
would  drain  through  to  China.  For  the  pools  and  wide 
canals  of  frankly  formal  gardens  concrete  is  indispensable.  After 
a  carpenter  has  made  the  wooden  frame  for  the  circle,  ellipse, 
square  or  whatever  shape  is  desired  for  the  pool,  it  is  a  simple 
matter  for  the  village  mason  to  pour  mixed  cement  and  sand  into  it. 
Some  very  beautiful  effects  have  been  obtained  with  aquatic  plants 
in  artificial  basins,  notably  at  the  great  expositions  in  Chicago  and 
St.  Louis;  but  generally  speaking,  lotuses,  water  lilies  and  their 
associates  are  best  adapted  to  the  naturalistic  method  of  treatment 
on  home  grounds. 

From  the  artistic  standpoint,  the  artificial  pond  is  usually 
sadly  handicapped,  but  from  that  of  the  practical  grower  of  choice 
aquatics  there  are  undeniable  advantages  in  having  cultural 
conditions  under  control  —  in  being  able  to  regulate  the  water 
supply  with  a  spigot,  to  drain  off  the  water,  if  necessary.  For  the 
little  sluggish  brook  that  looks  so  innocent  at  midsummer,  when  you 
make  your  delightful  plan,  may  swell  into  a  raging,  obstreperous 
torrent  next  spring,  tear  away  your  wild  garden  and  rockery,  scour 
a  devastating  course  through  your  ineffably  precious  bog  garden, 
undermine  the  banks  and  the  dam  of  your  pond,  and  actually 


The  Water  Garden  119 

cause  the  death  of  your  pet  aquatics  by  drowning  them.  One 
cannot  prepare  too  carefully  against  such  a  disaster.  A  dam  of 
the  most  solid  construction  is  the  first  essential.  Open  ditches 
and  ample  drains  that  are  really  adequate  outlets  for  the 
water  as  fast  as  it  enters  in  time  of  flood  must  be  provided 
for  a  pond  that  is  supplied  by  a  brook,  but  even  an  artificial 
pond  needs  to  have  an  outlet  for  the  water  which  will  become 
stagnant  and  unhealthful  if  there  is  not  some  movement  of  it 
at  times,  however  slight.  The  perfectly  balanced  aquarium  is 
not  made  on  so  large  a  scale. 

Aquatics  insist  upon  a  very  rich  and  rather  heavy  soil  —  about 
one-third  cow  manure  to  two  parts  of  well  rotted  sods  is  not  too 
hearty  a^ftet  for  these  voracious  feeders.  It  has  been  noted  that 
flowers  of  especially  fine  colouring  are  produced  where  there  is  an 
intermixture  of  pure  clay  with  the  soil.  Wild  water  lilies  may  fare 
well  enough  on  decayed  leaves  and  other  vegetable  matter  in  the 
mucky  bottoms  of  natural  ponds,  but  the  best  results  are  not 
obtained  when  this  simple  diet  is  offered  the  pampered  darlings 
of  the  French  and  American  hybridisers.  Lotuses  withhold  their 
queenly  flowers  unless  they  are  abundantly  fed.  Water  poppies, 
papyrus,  flowering  grasses,  bamboo  and  other  companions  are  not 
so  fastidious,  but  they,  too,  enjoy  good  living. 

In  autumn,  after  the  canvas  for  the  picture  has  been  prepared, 
as  it  were,  for  the  painter's  brush,  begin  the  planting  by  setting 
out  such  hardy  deciduous  trees  and  shrubs  as  have  been  chosen 
for  a  background.  Evergreens,  however,  which  make  the  most 
effective  windbreak,  would  better  wait  until  late  spring.  At  the 
risk  of  harping  too  much  upon  one  string,  let  it  be  said  yet  again 
that  the  trees  and  shrubs  that  grow  naturally  in  the  neighbourhood, 
and  so  fit  in  well  with  the  surrounding  landscape,  are  always  the 


120  The  American  Flower  Garden 

best  to  use.  Don't  plant  Colorado  blue  spruces  on  the  north  bank 
of  your  pond  if  you  live  in  Massachusetts,  nor  dwarf  Japanese  maples 
of  brilliant  reds  and  yellows,  nor  shrubs  with  variegated  leaves,  nor 
other  exclamation  points,  in  what  should  be  a  reposeful,  naturalistic 
composition.  In  any  case,  don't  set  out  tall  growing  trees  where 
they  will  shade  your  pond,  which  needs  all  the  sunshine  possible. 
You  may  plant  much  or  little  on  the  gently  sloping  banks,  but  the 
real  test  of  the  artistic  treatment  of  any  water  garden  is  the  soft- 
ening or  effacing  of  the  line  where  land  and  water  meet.  Grindling 
Gibbons  spent  two  years  carving  a  frame  for  a  mirror.  Nature 
bestows  her  most  deft  and  delicate  touches  upon  water  margins. 
She  has  a  large  class  of  exquisite  amphibious  plants  for  her  mirror 
frames — the  flowering  sedges,  irises,  marsh  marigolds,  rushes, 
meadow-rue,  forget-me-nots,  fringy  ferns,  the  white-blossomed 
arrow-head  and  the  blue  spiked  pickerel  weed,  water-clover,  the 
great  blue  lobelia,  next  of  kin  to  the  gorgeous  cardinal  flower,  jewel 
weed,  boneset,  elm-leaved  goldenrod,  eupatorium,  a  swamp  wild 
rose  (R.  Carolina),  and  a  host  of  others.  Whoever  possesses  an  old 
pond,  with  its  own  precious  edge  fringed  with  the  luxuriant  growth 
that  springs  out  of  alluvial  soil,  has  more  done  for  him  than  he 
who  need  not  attempt  to  imitate  it  can  realise.  Although  he  may 
add  to  nature's  list  of  plants  for  his  special  section  the  decorative 
Eulalia  grasses,  erianthus,  the  stately  Japanese  irises  and  aquatic 
plants  from  the  five  continents,  it  is  doubtful  if  he  add  thereby  to 
the  artistic  result.  Only  where  the  pond  adjoins  a  garden  do  the 
ordinary  garden  flowers  look  well  about  it  —  poppies,  foxgloves, 
larkspurs,  and  their  familiar  associates,  boldly  planted.  Just  as 
in  the  Latin  language  an  adjective  must  agree  with  its  noun  in 
gender,  number,  and  case,  so  must  a  garden,  aquatic  or  otherwise, 
agree  with  its  environment.  It  would  be  as  futile  to  attempt  a 


The  Water  Garden  121 

naturalistic  pond  in  the  centre  of  a  smooth  shaven  lawn  as  to  place 
a  classic  Roman  Nymphaeum  in  the  midst  of  a  wild  garden. 

But  what  water  garden  was  ever  complete  without  its  golden- 
hearted,  waxy-white  and  exquisitely  tinted  water  lilies  floating 
on  the  surface  among  their  disc-like  leaves  of  bronze,  copper,  and 
mahogany?  To  secure  flowers  of  the  hardy  Nymphaeas  the 
same  season,  plant  as  early  in  the  spring  as  the  rhizomes  show 
signs  of  growth,  or  at  any  later  time  until  September  to  establish 
plants  whose  bloom  is  not  expected  until  the  following  year.  No 
matter  in  what  depth  of  water  a  plant  has  grown  previously,  its 
hollow,  rubber-like  stems  readily  adapt  themselves  to  new  con- 
ditions, and  although  submerged  two  feet  when  set  out,  it  will  send 
up  its  leaves  to  the  sun  and  air  on  the  surface  in  an  incredibly 
short  time.  Where  it  is  possible  to  control  the  supply  of  water, 
increase  the  depth  of  the  pond  gradually  and  so  keep  it  warm, 
thereby  insuring  a  more  rapid  growth  for  the  plants. 

Lotuses  (Nelumbo)  should  not  be  put  in  a  small  pond 
where  choice  water  lilies  are  growing  unless  the  latter,  at  least, 
are  confined  within  tubs  or  partitions  separating  them  from  the 
greedy  lotus  tubers  ever  pushing  about  through  the  soft  rich  muck 
seeking  what  they  may  devour.  The  great  round  lotus  leaves  held 
up  high  above  the  surface  would  as  effectually  keep  off  the  sun 
from  the  water  lilies  as  so  many  big  green  umbrellas.  It  is  some- 
times necessary  to  anchor  the  roots  of  both  water  lilies  and  lotuses 
with  bricks  or  stones  before  growth  starts,  lest  they  rise  from  their 
soft  muddy  bed  and  float  away. 

In  the  Northern  states  lotus  tubers  are  often  started  indoors, 
and  the  tubs  or  hogsheads  are  dropped  into  the  pond  several  weeks, 
perhaps,  after  the  more  hardy  Nymphaeas  were  planted  out;  but, 
once  established,  lotuses  withstand  very  severe  winters,  provided 


122  The  American  Flower  Garden 

their  roots  do  not  freeze.  Of  all  aquatic  plants,  perhaps  they 
most  resent  being  transplanted  and  interfered  with.  Where  water 
is  drained  out  of  ponds  and  basins  in  winter,  a  thick  covering  of 
stable  litter  and  autumn  leaves,  confined  with  branches,  gives  them 
and  the  water  lilies  all  necessary  protection.  Tender  tropical 
water  lilies  may  never  be  trusted  in  the  open  until  settled  warm 
weather  would  make  it  quite  safe  to  set  out  begonias.  They,  too, 
may  be  started  indoors,  preferably  in  the  tubs  or  crates  where  they 
are  to  grow  through  the  summer,  and  stored  in  a  cellar  or  green- 
house during  the  winter.  Where  one  has  a  pond  large  enough 
to  grow  the  gigantic  Victoria  regia,  it  may  be  planted  out  at  the 
same  time  as  the  tender  Nymphaeas  after  it  has  made  a  good 
start  under  glass.  Not  even  a  gypsy  camp  in  a  neighbourhood 
will  attract  more  visitors. 

Although  the  lotus  was  sacred  to  the  ancient  Egyptians,  it 
is  only  about  fifty  years  ago  that  it,  or  indeed  any  aquatic  plants, 
began  to  find  their  way  into  our  affections  and  our  gardens,  and 
very  slowly  at  first  It  was  not  until  the  magnificent  display  at 
the  World's  Fair,  Chicago,  that  people  realised  what  a  great  wealth 
of  beauty  lies  within  our  easy  reach.  Even  now,  many  have 
quite  erroneous  ideas  concerning  them  —  for  example,  that  only 
the  rich  may  enjoy  them,  that  artificial  heat  is  necessary  for  all, 
and  that  deep,  warm  running  water  and  an  expert  gardener  to 
look  after  them  are  among  their  numerous  wants.  As  a  matter 
of  fact,  the  hardy  aquatics  are  as  easily  grown  as  potatoes.  The 
booklets  given  away  by  the  reliable  dealers  who  make  a  specialty  of 
aquatics  furnish  all  necessary  information  concerning  their  simple 
culture.  Even  the  tender,  tropical  water  plants  are  less  trouble- 
some than  many  popular  favourites  —  show  chrysanthemums, 
for  example.  Lively  times  with  trap  and  gun  may-  be  in  store 


The  Water  Garden  123 

for  the  grower  of  water  lilies  and  lotuses  before  he  has  conquered 
their  most  troublesome  foe,  the  water  rat.  Aphides  may  sometimes 
leave  the  rose  bushes  to  suck  the  juicy  young  lotus  stems,  but 
strong  spraying  with  a  hose  washes  them  off  and  kills  many.  If 
they  are  very  persistent,  however,  it  will  be  necessary  to  powder 
the  plants  with  tobacco  dust  which,  it  is  true,  makes  them 
unsightly  for  a  time.  If  there  is  a  small  boy  in  the  family 
who  can  be  hired  to  collect  lady-bugs  and  pasture  them  upon 
the  aphides,  for  which  they  have  an  insatiable  desire,  it  is  an 
easy  solution  of  what,  at  its  worst,  is  a  small  difficulty.  Frogs 
and  water  snails  should  be  encouraged  wherever  aquatics  are 
attempted. 

As  for  gold  fish,  they  are  indispensable.  Hardy  enough  to 
live  out  in  our  northern  ponds  that  never  freeze  to  their  total 
depth,  the  beautiful  fish  multiply  astonishingly  with  no  care  what- 
ever. The  feathery  submerged  part  of  the  water  hyacinth  is  a 
favourite  place  for  depositing  their  spawn.  With  the  larvae  of 
the  mosquito  that  can  develop  only  in  water  and  which  gold  fish 
devour  by  the  million,  they  eradicate  the  last  reasonable  objection 
to  having  a  water  garden  near  one's  home.  Without  them  on 
constant  patrol,  it  might  readily  become  a  resort  for  the 
malaria-spreading  pest.  They  are  our  foremost  allies  every- 
where —  even  in  rain  barrels  —  against  the  mosquito.  Carp 
in  pools  near  castle,  monastery  and  palace,  were  favourite  pets 
of  feudal  lords,  monks  and  kings  in  mediaeval  days.  Gold  fish, 
the  carp's  rich  relations,  may  be  tamed  even  more  readily  to  eat 
from  the  hand. 

A  water  garden,  however  small,  is  worth  having  if  only  to 
attract  the  birds  near  one's  home.  How  they  delight  in  it!  How 
they  sing!  Many  visitors  must  travel  miles  for  a  drink  on  a  hot  day. 


124  The  American  Flower  Garden 

But  perhaps  they  enjoy  a  splashing  bath  on  the  lily  pads  even  more. 
From  matins  until  evensong  there  is  not  an  hour  of  the  day  when 
you  cannot  enjoy  the  visits  of  robins,  catbirds  and  thrushes  that 
are  perhaps  the  most  appreciative  bathers  among  your  many  less 
familiar  and  more  shy  bird  neighbours  to  whom  water  is  the 
surest  means  of  introduction. 

Where  a  single  Indian  lotus  might  lift  its  great  round  leaves 
high  above  the  water,  catching  the  rain  drops  that  roll  about  on 
them  like  so  many  balls  of  quicksilver;  where  its  big  pink,  pointed 
buds  might  expand  into  golden-hearted  flowers  of  Oriental  splen- 
dour, and  later,  when  the  odd  seed  vessels  might  ap'pear,  I  wonder 
how  any  one  could  forego  so  much  beauty,  even  if  only  a  tub  at 
one's  doorstep  might  be  its  humble  habitation. 

WHAT  ARE  BEST  OF  THE  TRUE  WATER  LILIES 

BRYDON'S  (Nymphaa  James  Brydon).  Red.  Strongest  growing  plant 
among  the  hardy  red  water  lilies.  Day  bloomer.  Good  for  cut 
flowers.  Very  early  and  floriferous.  Sterile. 

CAPE  COD  LILY  (N.  odorata,  var.  rosea).  Even  pink.  Flowers  3 
to  7  inches.  Opening  6  A.M.,  closing  at  noon,  but'*sepals  remain 
open.  Shy  bloomer.  Does  not  thrive  south  of  Philadelphia. 
2  to  4  feet  of  water. 

CHINESE  PIGMY  WATER  LILY  (N.  tetragona).  White.  Smallest  grow- 
ing hardy  water  lily.  June,  September.  Opens  noon,  closes  at 
five  o'clock.  Flowers  2  inches  across,  star-like.  Leaves  dark 
green  with  dull  red  beneath.  I  to  3  feet  of  water. 

DAZZLING  WHITE  LILY  (N.  alba,  var.  candidissima).  Snowy  white. 
Nearly  odourless.  June  till  frost.  For  depths  2  to  5  feet  where 
the  common  pond  lily  cannot  grow.  Exceedingly  strong  and 
hardy.  Day  bloomer.  Sterile. 

DEVON  (N.  Devoniensis).  Red.  Best  night-blooming  water  lily  of 
its  colour.  Petals  ovate  4  to  5  inches  long.  Not  so  expanded  as 
O'Mara's.  Very  free  blooming.  Produces  a  number  of  lateral 
crowns.  A  single  plant  may  cover  two  hundred  square  feet. 


The  Water  Garden  125 

GLADSTONE'S  (N.  Gladstone  ana).  White.  Hardy,  day  bloomer. 
Scentless;  8  inches  in  diamteer.  Petals  forming  a  glistening 
sphere  from  early  morning  till  3  P.M.  Enduring  four  days.  Not 
very  free  flowering,  but  quite  hardy  and  strong  growing.  Must 
have  three  or  four  shoots  for  continuous  bloom.  I  to  2  feet  of 
water. 

GRACILIS  (N.  flavo-virens).  The  N.  gracilis  of  the  American  trade, 
but  differing  from  the  plant  of  that  name  in  the  European  trade. 
Dull  white,  star-shaped;  narrow  pointed  petals.  Sepals  pure 
green.  Sweetly  scented,  opening  three  successive  days  from  early 
morning  till  six  at  night.  I  foot  above  the  water.  Easily  raised 
by  seeds  or  tubers.  The  commonest  and  best  tender  white  day 
bloomer. 

HUSTER'S  (N.  George  Huster).  Best  very  dark  red  night-blooming. 
Tender.  Deeper  flower  than  the  Devon  lily;  8  to  10  inches  across. 
Otherwise  like  O'Mara's.  Strong  growing.  Free  bloomer. 

LAYDEKER'S  (N.  Laydekeri  varieties).     For  small  spaces,  2  to  4  feet 

square,  and  for  very  shallow  water.    (var.  fulgens).      Magenta. 

(var.  lilaced).       Rosy  lilac.     (var.  purpurea).     Purplish. 

opening  after  nine  o'clock.     (var.  rosea).      Pink;  most  flori- 

ferous  small  pink.     None  of  this  class  produces  seed. 

MARLIAC  LILIES  (N.  Marliacea  varieties).  — : —  (var.  albida).  White, 
similar  to  Gladstone's  lily;  rank  growing.  Leaves  and  flowers 

often  carried   above  the  water.     (var.  earned).      Light  pearly 

pink  and  var.  rosea,  deep  rose,  are   both  of  identical  habit.     

(var.   ignea).     Flowers   deep   red  with  cardinal   stamens,  floating, 

leaves  blotched    brown,  deepest  coloured   hardy  red.      (var. 

chromatella).  Most  floriferous  yellow,  hardy,  very  double;  early 
flowering.  All  these  are  good  for  small  water  gardens.  Chroma- 
tella is  the  hardiest  and  most  satisfactory  of  all  the  hardy  lilies. 
June  till  frost.  Leaves  and  flowers  grow  above  water  if  crowded. 
Also  good  for  cut  flowers. 

O'MARA'S  (N.  Omar  ana).  Brilliant  purple  red.  Glowing  in  the  sun- 
shine. Narrow  white  stripe  in  each  petal.  Flowers  I  foot  across. 
Stamens  brownish  red.  Blooms  July  till  frost.  Leaves  bronzy  red. 
The  most  splendid  night-blooming  water  lily.  Flowers  I  foot 
above  the  surface.  Good  for  cutting. 


ia6  The  American  Flower  Garden 

PINK  PIGMY  (N.  Laydekeri,  var.  rosed).  Pink.  Similar  to  Chinese  white 
pigmy  in  size,  habit,  and  leaf.  Free  flowering.  More  cup  shaped. 
Colour  deepens  with  age  from  shell  pink  to  carmine  rose.  Very 
shallow  water. 

POND  LILY  (N.  odorata).  White.  Unequalled  for  fragrance,  but  not 
so  free  flowering  as  some  others.  For  large  ponds.  Hardy.  Day 
bloomer.  Flowers  2  to  5  inches.  Good  for  cutting.  ,  SOUTH- 
ERN (var.  gigantea).  White.  Strongly  scented,  3  to  6  inches 
across.  For  water  up  to  8  or  10  feet.  Leaves  I  foot;  round.  A 

large  odorata.  ,  LESSER  (var.  minor).  White.  A  diminutive 

odorata.  The  best  water  lily  for  shallows,  and  will  even  stand  com- 
plete drying.  Flowers  I  to  3  inches.  ,  YELLOW  (var.  sulphured). 

Best  hardy  yellow  for  shallows.  Opening  from  7  to  8  A.M.  Best 
for  cutting. 

RED  GRACILIS  (N.  flavo-virens,  var.  rubra).  Deep  pink,  approaching 
red.  Petals  narrow,  tapering.  Flower  star-like.  Tender.  Day 
blooming.  Best  tender  red  day  bloomer.  I  foot  above  water. 

RICHARDSON'S  (N.  tuberosa,  var.  Richardsoni).  Most  double  of  all 
the  white  water  lilies.  Odourless.  Does  best  in  about  3  feet  of 
water.  Flowers  form  a  very  delicate  rosette.  Floating. 

ROBINSON'S  (N.  Robinsoni).  Red.  Outer  petals  yellowish.  Flowers 
floating  and  leaves  with  a  notch  on  border  of  the  sinus.  Oldest 
and  best  known  of  the  yellow-red  water  lilies.  Free  flowering  but 
not  spreading  rapidly.  Hardy.  Good  for  cut  flowers. 

SEIGNORETTE'S  (N.  Seignoretti).  Excellent  companion  to  Robinson's 
water  lily  but  with  flowers  standing  six  inches  above  the  water 
and  leaf  not  notched. 

STURTEVANT'S  (N.  Sturtevantii).  Bright  pink,  with  brownish  orange 
stamens.  Night  blooming.  Requires  high  temperature.  Most 
massive  in  both  flower  and  foliage.  Flowers  I  foot  in  diameter. 
Leaves  becoming  bronze  with  age. 

VICTORIA,  OR  GIANT  AMAZON  (Victoria  Cruziand).  The  largest  of  all 
aquatics,  leaves  6  feet  across;  flowers  i  foot;  white,  becoming  pink 
on  second  day.  Needs  a  warmed  pond,  but  has  borne  seed  out- 
doors at  Philadelphia.  Better  than  the  more  tender  V.  Regia, 
which  it  closely  resembles.  Needs  special  pools.  Raise  annually 
from  seed. 


The  Water  Garden  127 

WHITE  NIGHT  (Nymphaa  dentatd).  Pure  white;  8  to  10  inches 
across.  The  petals  make  a  ring  at  right  angles  to  the  petiole 
with  central  erect  yellow  stamens.  Curiously  stiff  looking,  like 
a  short  yellow  candle  in  a  white  saucer.  Var.  grandiflora  with 
wider  petals,  var.  magnified  largest  of  all,  var.  superba  with  more 
numerous  petals. 

WHITE  PIGMY.     See  CHINESE  WHITE  PIGMY. 

YELLOW  PIGMY  (N.  tetragona,  var.  Helvold).  Yellow.  Similar  to  the 
white  pigmy,  but  leaves  are  heavily  blotched  with  reddish  brown. 
Hardy  at  Washington.  Shy  bloomer.  3  feet  of  water. 

ZANZIBAR  (N.  Zanzibariensis).  Royal  blue.  Tender.  Day  bloomer. 
Flowers  10  inches  across;  8  to  10  inches  above  the  water  on  stout 
stalks.  Broad,  blunt  petals,  anthers  golden.  Opening  from  three 
to  five  days  1 1  A.M.  to  5  P.M.  The  best  of  ail  the  water  lilies,  adapt- 
ing itself  to  all  sorts  of  conditions,  flowering  even  in  a  small  pot. 
July  till  frost.  Var.  azurea  sky  blue;  var.  rosea  rose  pink.  Under 
sides  of  the  leaves  are  coloured  similarly  to  the  flowers  in  each  case. 

DESIRABLE  ADJUNCT  PLANTS  FOR  THE  WATER  GARDEN 

(Swamp  Mallow,  Loosestrife,  Cardinal  Flower,  Meadow  Rue,  and  many  other  plants 
named  in  the  list  of  Natives  for  the  Wild  Garden  and  suitable  for  moist  and  wet  soils  can  be 
used  on  the  margins  of  the  water  garden.  Reference  should  also  be  made  to  many  plants 
enumerated  in  Herbaceous  Perennials.  They  are  indicated  by  (*)  in  both  lists.) 

The  flowering  season  is  given  as  for  New  York,  generally,  and  will  of  course  vary 
North  or  South. 

BLADDERWORT  (Utricularia  purpurea).  Submerged  leaves  bear  blad- 
ders which  trap  insects.  Purple  flowers,  quite  showy  in  early 

summer.  ,  COMMON  (U.  vulgaris.)  Yellow  flowers.  Floats 

freely  near  the  surface.  Both  require  very  still  water. 

BOG  RUSH  (Juncus  effusus).  Round  dark-green  stems.  For  marshy 
places.  2  to  4  feet. 

BROOKLIME  (Veronica  Americana).  Creeping  plant  for  edges  of  brooks 
and  ponds,  making  sheets  of  pale  blue  flowers.  April  to  Septem- 
ber. Leaves  rounded.  4  to  6  inches  high. 

BULRUSH,  CAT-TAIL  (Typha  lot  if  olio).  2  to  4  feet.  For  pool  margins 
and  still  waters.  Flowers  borne  in  dense  brown  spike  6  inches 
long.  For  massing  plant  2  feet  apart.  The  best  plant  of  its  kind 
for  this  purpose.  Summer. 


i28  The  American  Flower  Garden 

CABOMBA  (C.  Caroliniana).  Submerged.  Luxuriant  plumes  I  to  2 
feet  long.  Hardy  in  two  feet  of  water  at  Philadelphia.  Com- 
monest plant  for  aquaria. 

CALLA,  SPOTTED  (Richardia  albo-maculata).  For  margins;  2  feet. 
Leaves  dark  green  with  silvery  spots.  Flowers  creamy  yellow. 
2  inches  wide.  Best  spotted  leaved  plant. 

FLOATING  HEART  (Limnanthemum  lacunosum).  Floating,  ovate. 
Blotched  or  mottled.  2  inches  broad.  Attractive  quite  regardless 
of  the  white  flowers  borne  all  summer.  Pools  and  still  water. 
2  feet  deep. 

FORGET-ME-NOT.     See  HERBACEOUS  PLANTS,  p.  221. 

GIANT  REED  (Arundo  Donax).  Boldest  tall  growing  grass  for  semi- 
wild  and  tropical  effects.  15  feet  and,  rarely,  up  to  30  feet.  Looks 
like  a  giant  corn.  Variegated  form  less  hardy  than  the  type  and 
dwarfer.  Var.  macrophylla  is  glaucous.  Will  grow  where  pampas 
grass  is  not  hardy.  Propagate  by  ripe  canes  laid  on  wet  moss  in 
winter. 

HORN  FERN  (Ceratopteris  th all ctr aides).  For  shallow  water.  Sterile 
fronds  feathery,  light  green,  10  to  15  inches.  New  plants  produced 
wherever  these  fronds  fall  into  the  water.  Annual.  Propagate 
by  spores  in  water. 

IRIS,  YELLOW  (Iris  Pseudacorus).  Yellow,  long  strap-like  leaves. 

May- July;  2  feet.  For  marshes  and  banks.  ,  JAPANESE 

(/.  lavigata).  Excellent  for  big  floral  effects.  See  also  HER- 
BACEOUS PLANTS,  page  223. 

LOTUS,  AMERICAN  (Nelumbo  luted).  Creamy  white,  10  inches  in 
diameter;  3  to  4  feet  above  water.  July,  August.  Excellent  for 
wild  waters;  roots  spread  freely.  Rich  earth  under  4  to  12  inches  of 

water.  Enclose  roots  in  brick  tank.  Transplant  in  spring.  , 

PINK  (N.  nucifera,  or  spedosum).  Similar  in  all  respects  to  the 
foregoing,  except  in  pink  flowers.  There  are  many  varieties  of 
this:  rosea,  deep  rose,  single  and  double;  Shiroman,  white  double; 
Kinshiren,  dwarfer,  double.  Species  is  more  hardy  than  the 
varieties. 

MARSH  MARIGOLD  (Caltha  palustris).  Bright  yellow.  May;  12  to 
15  inches.  Good  for  sun  or  shade,  on  banks  or  in  brooks  up  to 
4  inches  deep.  Plant  i  foot  apart.  Double  form  and  dwarf  form. 


The  Water  Garden  129 

PAPYRUS  (Cyperus  Papyrus).  Soft  and  grass-like  leaves  a  foot  long 
on  top  of  each  stalk,  like  a  large  umbrella  plant.  Tender;  take 
up  after  first  frost  in  autumn  to  warm  well-lighted  tank;  4  to  6  feet 
above. 

'ARROT'S  FEATHER  (Myriophyllum  proserpinacoides).  Slender  feathery 
plumes,  very  finely  divided;  6  to  8  inches  long.  Roots  in  the  earth 
at  the  margin,  and  makes  the  brightest  green  tuft  over  the  water. 
Winter  by  putting  a  few  pieces  in  a  bottle  of  water. 

PICKEREL  WEED  (Pontederia  cordata).  Blue.  8  to  12  inches  above  the 
water.  In  water  i  foot  deep.  See  also  NATIVE  PLANTS,  page  94. 

PITCHER  PLANT  (Sarracenia  purpured).  6  to  8  inches,  with  flower  stalk 
1 8  inches.  Leaves  tubular,  pitcher-like,  and  curved;  greenish 
with  reddish  purple  veins.  For  very  wet  borders.  Flowers  deep 
purple. 

SWEET  FLAG  (A corns  Calamus).  For  shallow  lake,  or  wet  places. 
3  feet  high.  Light  green  leaves.  Flowers  yellow.  Leaves  die 
at  the  top  after  spring  growth,  sometimes  giving  a  very  ragged 
effect.  A.  gramineus  and  var.  variegatus,  similar  but  dwarfer. 

THALIA  (Thalia  divaricata).  Broad  oval  leaves  I  foot  long  resembling 
canna  leaves;  6  feet  above.  Will  grow  in  a  tub.  Winter  in  warm 
tank  or  half  dry  in  a  cool  house.  Flowers  insignificant. 
IMBRELLA  PLANT  (Cyperus  alternifolius).  3  feet.  Similar  to  the 
common  umbrella  plant  of  the  greenhouses,  which  is  in  truth  a  smaller 
variety.  Easily  propagated  by  division  of  the  roots  or  by  the  leaf 
cut  off  and  inserted  in  water. 

ARUM  (Calla  palustris).     For  banks.     6  inches.     Mulch  with 
sphagnum  moss.     Resembles  common  calla. 

rATER  ARUM  (Peltandra  Virginicd).  Arrow-shaped  calla-like  leaves. 
6  inches  long.  Green  spathe  6  inches  long  in  May,  June;  I  foot 
above  water.  Green  berries  when  ripe.  Plant  in  mud  under  one 
foot  of  water. 

CLOVER  (Marsilea  qu ad ri folia).  For  pond  edges.  Growing 
in  the  earth  or  floating.  Looks  like  a  four-leaved  clover.  Useful 
for  hiding  pond  margin. 

CRESS  (Nasturtium  officinale).  For  margins  of  clear  streams 
6  to  8  inches.  Flowers  white,  small,  all  summer.  Easily  raised 
from  seed  or  cuttings.  Good  cover  to  keep  fish  cool. 


I30 


The  American  Flower  Garden 


WATER  HYACINTH  (Eichhornia  speciosa).  Floats,  or  in  water  up  to 
2  feet.  1 8  inches.  Leaves  5  inches  in  diameter  with  inflated 
stalks.  Flowers  violet  in  spikes  8  inches  long.  Spreads  rapidly, 
must  be  restricted  by  wooden  pen.  A  weed  South. 

WATER  POPPY  (Limnocharis  Humboldti).  Yellow.  All  summer;  6 
inches.  Floating  leaves  3  inches  across.  Flowers  borne  singly, 
as  big  as  the  leaves,  and  above,  last  one  day.  Resembles  Cali- 
fornia poppy.  Tender.  Plant  in  shallow  water. 

WATER  SHIELD  (Brasenia  peltata).  Floating.  Leaves  entire,  I  to  3 
inches,  broad,  greenish,  or  purplish.  Flowers  dull  purple  appearing 
above  the  surface.  Plant  in  i  to  6  feet  of  water. 

NOTE. —  The  experiences  of  leading  growers  and  students  have  been  drawn  on  in 
compiling  the  foregoing,  viz.:  Prof.  H.  S.  Conard,  H.  Hus,  W.  Tricker,  and  P.  Bisset. 


TREES 


"We  find  our  most  soothing  companionship  in  trees  among  which  we  have 
lived,  some  of  which  we  ourselves  may  have  planted.  We  lean  against  them  and 
they  never  betray  our  trust;  they  shield  us  from  the  sun  and  from  the  rain;  their 
spring  welcome  is  a  new  birth  which  never  loses  its  freshness,  they  lay  their  beau- 
tiful robes  at  our  feet  in  autumn;  in  winter  they  stand  and  wait,  emblems  of  patience 
and  of  truth,  for  they  hide  nothing,  not  even  the  little  leaf-buds  which  hint  to  us 
of  hope9  the  last  element  in  their  triple  symbolism"  —  DR.  O.  W.  HOLMES 


CHAPTER  IX 

TREES 

WHAT  place  have  trees  in  a  flower  garden  ?    Will  they 
not    rob    the    lesser    plants    of    food    and     drink, 
stifle    them    with    shade,    and    ultimately    strangle 
them  to  death? 

At  the  outset,  it  must  be  confessed  that  few  trees  could  be 
admitted  within  the  garden  proper,  only  those  smaller  ones  which, 
like  the  boxwood,  the  bay,  the  laburnum,  the  lesser  magnolias  and 
dwarf  evergreens,  have  a  decorative  value  not  overbalanced  by  their 
destructiveness  to  flowering  plants.  But  in  a  larger  sense  the 
garden  picture  includes  both  its  background  and  its  frame, 
and  as  it  would  be  difficult  indeed  to  make  a  really  good  one 
without  trees  which  serve  most  effectively  for  both,  perhaps 
no  apology  for  including  them  in  this  book  is  necessary.  To 
break  the  sky  line,  to  give  diversity  of  outline  and  colour  at 
different  seasons,  to  increase  the  interest  of  the  home  grounds, 
to  unite  the  house  and  its  garden  with  the  surrounding  land- 
scape, to  form  windbreaks  and  boundary  belts,  to  afford  shelter 
and  shade,  to  screen  off  unsightly  places,  to  emphasise  the 
height  of  a  hill  top,  to  draw  the  eye  toward  a  lovely  view,  to 
improve  the  quality  of  the  atmosphere  around  a  dwelling,  to 
furnish  masses  of  bloom,  to  attract  birds  that  will  keep  insect 
pests  in  check  and  sing  while  they  work  for  you,  to  make  a 
place  comfortable  and  beautiful  in  winter  as  well  as  in  summer 
— these  ends  are  not  by  any  means  all  that  may  be  accom- 

133 


134  The  American  Flower  Garden 

plished  by  intelligent  tree  planting.     And  nothing  about  a  home 
fosters  quite  so  much  sentiment  as  a  tree. 

"  Let  dead  names  be  eternised  in  dead  stone, 
But  living  names  by  living  shafts  be  known: 
Plant  thou  a  tree  whose  leaves  shall  sing 
Thyself  and  thee  each  fresh,  recurring  spring." 

It  is  a  pleasant  custom  for  each  member  of  the  family  and  the 
dearest  of  the  family's  friends  to  set  out  trees  on  the  home  grounds. 
To  right-thinking  people  they  stand  for  something  far  finer  than  so 
much  nursery  stock.  In  public  parks  trees  are  planted  by  dis- 
tinguished men  who  visit  the  city  and  often  acquire  historic  value 
as  the  years  go  by.  A  patriotic  citizen  recently  paid  over  a  thou- 
sand dollars  to  an  expert  to  prolong  the  life  of  the  splendid  old 
"Liberty  Tree"  at  Annapolis  by  pruning  it,  chiselling  out  the 
decayed  wood,  filling  its  enormous  cavities  with  tons  of  cement, 
and  supplying  the  exhausted  soil  around  it  with  fresh  nourishment. 
Sentiment  persists  in  clinging  to  a  tree  like  moss  to  its  bark. 

From  the  practical  and  the  pictorial  points  of  view  we  have 
been  slow  in  learning  that  the  evergreens,  as  a  class,  are  the  most 
useful.  We  shall  never  be  able  to  live  out  of  doors  the  greater 
part  of  the  year,  as  the  Europeans  live  in  their  gardens,  until  the 
value  of  trees  that  keep  their  leaves  all  winter  is  far  more  generally 
recognised.  The  old  gardens  of  Italy  are  not  only  the  most 
beautiful  in  the  world,  but  the  most  comfortable  at  all  seasons, 
because  trees  and  shrubs  that  are  permanently  green  and  shelter- 
ing are  their  basis.  And  yet,  with  a  far  greater  variety  of  them  at 
our  disposal  than  any  Old  World  garden  maker  had  four  centuries 
ago,  we  are  only  just  beginning  to  utilise  them  as  we  might  for 
wind-breaks,  screens,  and  hedges.  Of  course,  trees  with  dense 
foliage  should  never  be  set  out  in  the  path  of  the  prevailing  summer 


• 


Trees  135 

breezes;  but  many  a  house  that  is  bleak  and  draughty  in  winter 
might  be  made  quite  comfortable,  and  with  an  actual  saving  of 
fuel,  if  evergreens  suited  to  the  conditions  were  planted  on  the 
north  and  east  exposures  or  wherever  the  keenest  blasts  come  from. 
And  if  they  make  for  comfortable  living  indoors  in  winter,  how 
much  more  enjoyment  may  be  had  out  in  the  home  grounds  where 
they  are  freely  planted!  Some  day  we  shall  be  wise  enough  to 
use  evergreens  as  wind-breaks  even  for  our  cow  and  poultry  yards, 
that  the  stock  may  live  more  comfortably  and  healthfully  in  the 
open  air. 

In  the  lee  of  a  group  of  evergreens  the  superb  large  flowered 
magnolia  of  the  South  has  attained  great  size  so  far  north  as 
Long  Island,  but  it  becomes  deciduous  there.  The  late  Charles 
A.  Dana  grew  to  perfection  at  Dosoris  many  rare  and  beautiful 
exotics  that  would  certainly  have  been  winter-killed  without  the 
protection  of  evergreen  guardians.  No  plant,  however  hardy,  can 
attain  its  best  if  whipped  and  lashed  by  the  wind.  Even  a  veg- 
etable garden  will  bear  almost  a  fortnight  earlier  if  an  evergreen 
hedge  surrounds  it.  Tall  spruce,  hemlock,  arborvitae,  juniper  or 
other  evergreen  hedges  serve  best  to  partition  off  an  out-of-door 
living-room  open  to  the  zenith,  into  which  sunshine  pours,  and 
the  purest  air,  made  actually  warmer  because  of  the  trees, 
circulates  to  every  corner  without  causing  a  draught.  The 
comfort  of  such  a  cosy  enclosure  would  astonish  one  who  had 
never  tested  it.  Now  that  the  fresh  air  cure  is  being  prescribed 
for  most  of  the  ills  that  flesh  is  heir  to,  worn  and  weary  people 
will  enjoy  more  and  more  the  seclusion  and  comfort  and  fragrant 
purity  of  such  living-rooms.  They  are  ideal  playgrounds  for 
children.  The  baby  that  spends  most  of  the  time  between  sunrise 
and  sunset  in  the  open  air,  snugly  sheltered  from  wind  and  cold, 


I36  The  American  Flower  Garden 

makes  the  best  possible  start  in  life.  Long  ago  we  might  have 
learned  the  value  of  evergreens  from  the  birds  that  prefer  them 
to  all  other  trees  as  sleeping  and  nesting  places. 

In  an  emotional  moment  of  "civic  improvement"  we  were 
advised  to  take  down  our  front  fences  and  hedges,  throw  open  our 
lawns  and  share  with  the  public  all  the  beauty  of  our  home  grounds, 
or  be  branded  as  selfish  and  undemocratic.  The  family  life  that 
should  be  lived  as  much  as  possible  under  the  open  sky,  when 
rudely  exposed  to  public  gaze,  must  become  either  vulgarly  brazen 
or  sensitively  shy,  in  which  latter  case  it  withdraws  to  the  vine- 
enclosed  piazza  or  to  the  house  itself.  There  is  a  vast  difference 
between  the  Englishman's  insultingly  inhospitable  brick  wall, 
topped  with  broken  bottles,  and  an  American's  encircling  belt  of 
trees  around  his  home  grounds,  or  the  tall  hedge  around  his  garden 
room  to  ensure  that  privacy  without  which  the  perfect  freedom  of 
home  life  is  no  more  possible  than  if  the  family  living-room  were  to 
be  set  on  a  public  stage.  The  busy  mistress  of  the  house  needs 
every  encouragement  to  run  out  and  work  a  while  among  her 
flowers  without  feeling  that  her  unfashionable  dress  and  tucked  up 
petticoat  are  exciting  the  comment  of  passers-by.  Thanks  to  the 
shielding  evergreens,  the  young  people  may  have  rough  and 
tumble  play  on  the  lawn,  the  father  may  feel  free  to  don  overalls 
and  paint  the  garden  chairs  if  the  humour  seize  him,  and  the 
entire  family,  safely  sheltered  from  curious  eyes,  may  frequently 
enjoy  a  meal  out  of  doors  with  perfect  freedom  and  naturalness. 
The  plainest  fare  has  zest  when  eaten  al  fresco. 

If  suburban  and  country  houses  and  stables  are  not  to  look 
bare  and  cheerless  and  ugly  after  the  deciduous  trees  and  shrubs 
have  shed  their  leaves,  as  so  very  ^nany  do,  evergreens  need 
to  be  freely  used  in  the  boundary  planting,  on  the  lawn,  and 


Trees  137 

for  hedges  and  screens  around  the  drying  ground  and  service 
departments.  Everywhere  they  are  the  main  stay,  the  basis  for 
content. 

But  trees,  like  people,  have  their  good  and  bad  points,  and 
one  cannot  be  too  discriminating  when  it  comes  to  choosing  either 
for  near  neighbours.  In  those  melancholy  Puritanic  days  when 
cheerfulness  was  deemed  akin  to  sin,  there  was  a  certain  fitness  in 
planting  sombre  evergreens  in  the  dooryard  where  they  shut  out 
from  the  house  the  weak  sunshine  of  a  New  England  winter. 
For  this  position  the  Norway  spruce,  among  the  first  trees  imported, 
was  usually  chosen.  It  is  good-looking  only  in  its  youth.  Pres- 
ently its  lower  limbs  begin  to  die  off,  it  becomes  thin,  ragged, 
unhappy,  depressing,  and  in  this  condition  it  is  undoubtedly 
responsible  for  much  of  whatever  prejudice  against  evergreens 
exists.  The  vigorous  white  spruce,  on  the  other  hand,  forms  a 
broad-based,  conical  tree,  densely  clothed  with  cheerful  bluish- 
green,  short,  sharp  needles  from  its  tapering  tip  to  where  its  spread- 
ing branches  sweep  the  ground.  So  hardy  is  it  that  in  mass 
planting  it  may  be  used  as  a  bulwark  against  storms,  even  along 
the  sea  coast.  One  might  think  that  a  spruce  which  is  hardy  in 
one  place  might  be  equally  so  in  another.  Not  so.  The  Douglas 
spruce,  of  softer  texture  and  more  graceful  outline  than  the  white 
spruce,  making  it  more  desirable  for  a  lawn  specimen,  was  killed 
to  the  snow  line  when  imported  from  France  after  having  lived 
through  six  moderate  winters;  but  the  same  species,  brought 
from  the  higher  altitudes  of  Colorado,  never  lost  a  leaf  in  the  severe 
winters  of  1903-4.  It  is  important  to  know  the  source  of  the 
stock  you  buy.  The  glaucous  silvery  sheen  of  the  Colorado  blue 
spruce,  that  sprang  so  suddenly  into  public  favour,  looks  as  if  the 
trees  were  covered  with  hoar  frost  when  the  exquisite  new  growth 


138  The  American  Flower  Garden 

scintillates  in  the  sun.  To  light  up  a  dark  corner  of  the  lawn,  to 
run  up  the  colour  scale  of  a  group  of  darker  spruce  and  firs  to  a 
high,  accented  note,  this  tree  strikes,  perhaps,  the  most  effective 
crescendo.  But  how  sadly  misused  it  is!  Sometimes  one  could 
almost  wish  that  it,  like  the  over-planted  crimson  rambler,  had 
never  been  introduced.  These  few  spruces  named  illustrate  how 
important  it  is  to  really  know  various  members  of  even  the  most 
familiar  tree  tribe,  their  defects  and  merits,  their  uses  and  abuses, 
before  installing  them  as  neighbours  about  your  home. 

If  the  yew  and  holly  are  the  best  evergreens  for  England 
because,  being  native,  they  thrive  there  to  perfection,  so  our  spruce, 
hemlock,  arborvitae,  pine  and  junipers  are  best  for  us  to  use 
as  a  basis  for  other  planting.  On  the  solid  foundation  of  our  native 
trees  we  may  build  the  lighter  superstructure  and  embellish  it, 
according  to  fancy,  with  details  from  the  ends  of  the  earth;  but 
let  us  not  forget  the  enormous  sums  of  American  money  wasted 
on  European  evergreens  —  on  English  yews  alone.  After  exhaust- 
ing the  possibilities  of  our  beautiful  native  trees,  our  hope  lies  in 
those  from  lands  with  climatic  conditions,  similar  to  our  own,  no- 
tably Siberia,  China  and  Japan.  The  Korean  yew  (Cephalotaxus 
pedunculata,  var.  fastigiata),  the  Japanese  yew  (Taxus  cuspidata) 
and  their  varied  forms,  with  rich,  dark,  lustrous,  dense,  almost 
solid  foliage  that  withstands  intense  cold  and  the  brightest  sun, 
promise  to  be  the  valuable  ones  for  our  landscape  work  years  after 
the  English  and  Irish  yews,  once  so  extensively  planted,  have 
perished  miserably  almost  everywhere  except  in  a  few  favoured 
places  in  the  Middle  South.  We  have  to  thank  the  Orient  for 
most  of  the  charming  little  retinisporas,  the  green  and  gold  lace 
and  embroidery  among  trees,  that  we  most  enjoy  when  planted 
close  to  the  foundations  of  our  houses,  massed  in  corners,  in 


AN  AVENUE  OF  WHITE  PINES  WHOSE  FAR-FLUNG,  HORIZONTAL  BRANCHES  HUNG 
WITH  NEEDLES  SHRED  THE  WIND  INTO  MUSIC  LIKE  AN  AEOLIAN  HARP  WHILE  SUBTLY 
ROBBING  IT  OF  ITS  POWER 


Trees  139 

rriage  turn-arounds,  and  along  the  edges  of  groups  of   taller 
vergreens  on  the  lawn. 

A  mixture  of  incongruous  growths  is  apt  to  be    the    worst 
istake  of  the  tyro  who  choses  the  novelties  of  the  nurseryman's 
atalogue  so  beguilingly  described  and  then  tries  to  reconcile  the 
ees  to  the  requirements  of  his  place.     Very  rarely  does  he  think 
reversing    the    operation.     After    the    experienced    landscape 
ardener  has  drawn  to  scale  a  plan  of  the  area  to  be  beautified,  he 
akes  an  inventory  of  what  nature  offers  in  the  region,  not  only 
ecause  the  native  trees  will  thrive  best,  but  because  they  most 
ttingly  tie  a  new  place  to  the  surrounding  landscape,  making  it  an 
tegral  part  of  the  region  at  once.     These  will  be  the  first  on  his 
st  when  he  visits  nurseries  to  select  and  tag  stock.     But  not  a 
ee  will  be  ordered  whose  place  is  not  already  assigned  on  his 
rawn  and  redrawn  plan.     It  is  so  much  easier  to  rectify  mistakes, 
nd  so  much  less  expensive  to  shift  tree  belts,  hedges,  screens, 
asses  of  trees  and  fine  isolated  specimens  on  paper  than  with 
ngs  of  Italians  and  big  tree-movers.   The  knowledgeable  gar- 
ener  with  taste,  who  plants  trees  with  a  careful  consideration  for 
ach  of  soil,  situation,  and  climate,  is  an  indispensable  economy  to 
e  inexperienced  patron.     Even  comfortably  poor  people  cannot 
ell  afford  not  to  consult  him  if  they  did  but  realise  their  own 
imitations  and  his  worth. 

For  formal  touches,  no  other  hardy  evergreens  will  reproduce 
this  country  the  effect  of  the  Italian  cypress  so  well  as  the  red 
uniper,  or  so-called  cedar  (Juniperus  Firginiana),  and  the  artist- 
gardener  uses  hedges,  screens,  and  arches  of  it  as  well  as  the  tall, 
tapering,  spire-like  specimens  that  pierce  the  sky.     In  another 
locality  the    columnar   arborvitae,  the    true  white  cedar    of   the 
orthern  States  (Thuya  occidentalism  var.  pyramidalis),  might  serve 


140  The  American  Flower  Garden 

to  repeat  the  classic  lines  of  pilasters  and  columns.  He  may 
wish  to  make  comfortable  and  beautiful  a  bleak  hill-top  where  it  is 
advisable  to  place  the  house  for  the  sake  of  a  superb  view,  and  he 
will  probably  mass  there  the  tall  white  pines  whose  far-flung, 
horizontal  branches,  hung  with  needles,  will  shred  the  wind  into 
music  like  an  ^Eolian  harp,  while  subtly  robbing  it  of  its  power. 
Or  he  may  group  the  Nordmann's  fir,  Veitch's  and  the  white  fir 
(Abies  concolor),  all  worthy  of  honourable  place,  knowing  that  a 
variety  of  trees  of  the  same  genus  usually  gives  greater  satisfaction 
than  a  collection  of  unrelated  species.  But  he  would  never  put 
in  an  exposed,  high,  dry,  windy  situation  the  feathery,  graceful 
hemlocks  that  demand  exactly  opposite  conditions  to  develop  their 
finest  possibilities.  For  rock  work  and  ground  carpets  he  uses 
prostrate  junipers  and  dwarf  pine. 

After  the  foundations  of  comfort  and  beauty,  as  it  were,  have 
been  laid  on  a  place  by  means  of  evergreens,  there  will  be  bewilder- 
ing opportunities  to  use  deciduous  trees  for  filling  in  the  boundary 
belts,  lining  drives  and  paths,  shading  the  tennis-court  and  beauti- 
fying the  lawn.  Shall  large  trees  be  bought  or  young  nursery 
stock?  Unfortunate  indeed  are  the  people  who  take  possession 
of  a  new  home  without  a  few  well-grown  trees  upon  it.  The  des- 
perate hurry,  the  nervous  restlessness  of  the  times  in  which  we 
live  give  little  encouragement  to  planting  for  posterity;  therefore 
we  have  devised  big  tree  movers  to  shift  specimens  to  our  grounds 
from  anywhere  within  hauling  distance.  This  is  work  for  experts 
only,  who  must  be  employed  at  considerable  expense  and  at  no 
little  risk.  Perhaps  the  gambling  element  that  is  involved  in  such 
an  enterprise  only  adds  to  its  fascination.  So  great  is  the  shock 
of  root-pruning  and  adjusting  itself  to  a  new  environment  that  my 
fine  large  pin  oak,  after  struggling  against  the  odds  and  living  in  a 


Trees  141 

half-hearted  way  for  two  years,  finally  gives  up  the  struggle,  in 
spite  of  thinning  out  its  branches,  wrapping  its  trunk  with  straw, 
watering,  mulching  and  every  other  kind  of  coddling  an  anxious 
owner  can  devise ;  while  your  oak,  bought  at  the  same  nursery  and 
planted  under  exactly  the  same  conditions,  may  never  know  it  was 
moved.  For  giving  a  softening  touch,  a  settled  look  to  a  bald  new 
house,  reconciling  it  at  once  to  the  landscape,  nothing  is  so  helpful 
as  a  good  sized  tree.  The  one  that  can  be  planted  very  near  a 
dwelling,  and  not  exclude  the  light  and  air  from  its  living-rooms, 
is  the  high-arching  elm.  How  well  our  forefathers  understood 
the  use  of  this  most  graceful  tree! 

On  large  estates  it  pays  to  own  the  apparatus  for  moving 
big  trees;  or,  neighbours  and  improvement  societies  may  well 
combine  to  buy  one.  One  enthusiastic  amateur  has  reduced  the 
percentage  of  loss  to  less  than  5  per  cent,  of  all  the  trees  he  moves, 
and,  so  daring  has  he  grown,  that  he  no  longer  root-prunes  a  tree 
before  lifting  it,  nor  hesitates  to  transfer  a  horse  chestnut  in  full 
bloom  from  one  part  of  his  estate  to  another.  When  he  already 
owns  the  trees,  he  estimates  that  it  costs  him  twenty  dollars  apiece 
to  move  specimens  for  which  a  nursery  that  grew  them  would  be 
obliged  to  charge  several  hundred  dollars.  Tree  bargains  may 
be  picked  up  from  neighbouring  farms  if  a  moving  apparatus  can 
be  hired.  Willows  and  poplars  adapt  themselves  to  new  environ- 
ment with  alacrity,  maples  quite  readily,  oaks  less  willingly  and 
beeches  and  white  birches  sulkily  unless  transplanted  in  youth. 
Owing  to  the  enormous  weight  of  the  balls  of  earth  that  must  be 
lifted  with  evergreens,  it  is  not  possible  to  move  such  large  speci- 
mens as  may  be  safely  attempted  among  deciduous  trees  from 
whose  roots  the  soil  may  be  shaken  out.  Even  for  them,  however, 
is  better  to  lift  part  of  the  ball  of  soil  if  possible. 


i42  The  American  Flower  Garden 

When  one  cannot  afford  to  move  big  trees,  recourse  may  be  had 
to  the  fast  growing  kinds,  trees  that  skim  the  surface  cream  of  the 
soil,  as  it  were,  rather  than  delve  for  a  living  deep  down  in  it. 
Mulching,  feeding  and  frequent  watering  will  cause  them  to  make 
rapid  growth,  but  note  how  many  willows,  locusts  arid  poplars  are 
uprooted  by  storms,  how  many  branches  of  the  silver  and  other 
soft-wood  maples  are  broken  by  ice  and  riddled  by  borers. 
However  necessary  it  may  be  to  include  such  trees  for  swift 
returns  on  a  new  place,  it  must  be  recognised  that  their  tenure 
is  temporary.  Permanent  satisfaction  is  derived  from  the 
sturdy  oaks,  the  hard  maples,  the  lofty,  Gothic-arched  elm,  the 
beeches,  graceful,  clean  and  strong,  the  straight-shafted  tulip 
tree,  the  lemon-scented  silver  linden,  and  other  trees  of  slower 
growth  but  more  lasting  beauty.  The  red  oak  will  grow  as  fast 
as  the  sugar  maple. 

Some  trees  will  be  chosen  for  their  blossoms  alone.  Who 
would  forego  the  loveliness  of  the  dogwood,  whose  horizontal, 
leafless  branches,  starred  over  with  large  white  flowers,  thrust 
themselves  out  from  the  woodland  border  in  May  with  abandoned 
grace;  or,  symmetrically  trained  by  the  nurseryman,  reconcile 
themselves  to  a  conventional  lawn  ?  But  long  before  the  dogwood 
blossoms  whiten  the  landscape,  the  lovely  tribe  of  magnolias 
"begins  its  unrivalled  floral  effects  that  may  be  prolonged  three 
months  —  from  March  to  August  —  in  the  vicinity  of  New  York. 
The  Reverend  Mr.  Hall,  a  missionary  returning  from  China  many 
years  ago,  brought  with  him  several  specimens  of  a  low-growing 
magnolia  with  exquisite,  star-like,  narrow-petalled,  delicately 
fragrant  white  flowers,  that  he  offered  to  many  nurserymen  in  this 
country  if  only  they  would  pay  the  transportation  charges.  All 
declined,  until  finally  the  late  Mr.  Parsons,  of  Flushing,  took  them 


I 


A  TREE  PEONY,  WHICH  BLOOMS  EARLIER  THAN  ITS  HERBACEOUS  RELATIVES 


Trees  143 

off  his  hands,  propagated  a  stock  from  them,  and  introduced  to  the 
Western  world  Hall's  magnolia  (M.  stellatd),  the  earliest  showy 
flower  we  have  and  one  of  the  loveliest.  This  low-growing  bush- 
like  tree  must  not  be  confused  with  the  Yulan  magnolia  (M.  con- 
spicua),  whose  large  pure  white  cups  are  set  on  the  leafless  branches 
of  a  tree  that  sometimes  attains  the  height  of  thirty  feet.  It  also 
blooms  in  early  spring.  Against  a  background  of  evergreens, 
where  all  trees  that  flower  before  their  leaves  come  show  to  the  best 
advantage,  these  magnolias  are  especially  beautiful.  Even  the 
peculiar  purplish  pink  of  the  Judas  tree,  not  a  lovely  colour  of 
itself,  almost  acquires  charm  if  backed  by  hemlocks.  So  exquisite 
are  the  hybrid  varieties  of  flowering  fruit  trees  —  the  cherry,  peach, 
and  crab  apple,  whose  every  twig  is  a  garland  and  whose  masses 
of  pink  and  white  bloom  most  adequately  express  the  exuberant 
beauty  of  spring  —  that  no  one  with  a  dollar  to  invest  in  pure  joy 
would  forego  one  of  them.  "Sure  ye  can't  see  the  tree  fur  the 
flowers  on  it,"  said  an  Irish  gardener  of  Professor  Sargent's 
favourite  flowering  crab. 

If  you  would  attract  birds  to  your  grounds,  plant  the  service 
berry  (Amelanchier)  that  happily  diverts  them  from  the  strawberry 
beds  in  June;  the  Russian  mulberry,  whose  cloying  sweet  fruit 
they  have  the  bad  taste  to  like  better,  perhaps,  than  any  other;  the 
fleecy  white-flowered,  bird-cherry  tree,  for  whose  racemes  of  blackish 
bitter  little  pills  flocks  of  cedar-birds,  especially,  will  travel  many 
miles;  the  spiny,  large  leaved  Hercules  club  (Aralia  spinosa) 
sought  by  the  hungry  juncos  as  soon  as  they  arrive  from  the  North; 
the  red-berried  dogwood  and  hawthorns,  whose  flowers  one  would 
not  willingly  forego  in  any  case. 

How  to  make  the  best  use  of  trees  with  variegated,  weeping 
ind  freakish  foliage  is  one  of  the  most  difficult  planting  problems, 


i44  The  American  Flower  Garden 

albeit  the  first  which  the  untrained  novice  usually  essays.  Probably 
the  very  worst  way  to  use  them  is  to  dot  isolated  specimens  about 
on  a  lawn  —  the  worst  way  to  plant  any  kind  of  tree  or  shrub  — 
but  mixed  masses  of  unrelated  colours,  a  Joseph's  coat  effect  in 
foliage,  can  be  awful  too.  One  weeping  willow  looks  well  over- 
hanging a  little  lake,  but  not  fifty  willows  there.  Trees  with 
pendulous  branches  have  a  special  grace,  but  the  deformed  freaks 
of  the  catalogue  can  spoil  any  garden  picture.  Because  golden 
retinisporas  are  beautiful  in  themselves  is  no  reason  for  buying 
them  unless  you  have  a  group  of  evergreens  into  whose  rich  colour 
scale  an  accented  tone  is  desired,  or  a  dark  corner  that  needs 
lighting  up.  No  foliage  is  more  exquisitely  fine  nor  more  richly 
coloured  than  that  of  the  low-growing,  shrub-like  Japanese 
maples,  yet  one  never  sees  them  used  in  American  gardens 
so  artistically  as  in  the  little  gardens  of  Japan,  among  rocks 
and  stunted  pines  and  miniature  waterfalls,  each  small  tree 
in  perfect  harmony  of  form  and  colour  with  its  environment. 
Here  we  are  too  apt  to  lose  the  fine  gradations  in  their  colour 
scale,  the  charming  individuality  of  each,  when  we  make  masses 
of  maples  of  many  hues  in  shrubbery  borders.  A  noble  speci- 
men of  dark  copper  beech  may  be  the  most  beautiful  ornament 
for  a  lawn,  but  even  there  it  need  not  be  wholly  unrelated  to 
every  other  colour  on  the  place.  Keyed  into  harmony  with  dark 
firs  or  other  deep-toned  evergreens,  the  splendour  of  its  ma- 
hogany tints  is  but  the  more  rich.  "I  have  never  seen  a 
purple  plum  tree  where  it  did  n't  stand  out  like  a  sore  thumb," 
confessed  a  well-known  landscape  gardener.  Nevertheless,  he 
has  learned  to  use  it  most  effectively  as  a  background  for 
flowering  peaches,  crabs,  and  blossoming  almond  and  fleecy 
white  spireas,  for  it  looks  especially  well  with  white  or  pink 


Trees  145 

flowered  shrubs;  but  it  must  be  confessed  that  after  their  bloom 
is  past,  his  old  objection  to  this  little  dark-leaved  tree,  so  uni- 
versally planted,  holds  good. 

The  brilliant  autumnal  colouring  of  trees  is  as  the  gift  of 
genius  in  families  —  one  can  never  be  certain  where  it  will  appear. 
In  a  long  row  of  sugar  maples  at  the  nursery  you  may  search  in 
vain  for  one  of  such  glorious  colouring  as  any  Vermont  farmer  may 
have  beside  his  door.  A  red  oak  tree  that  is  marvellously  rich  one 
year  may  disappoint  us  sadly  the  next,  when  the  glistening  leaves 
of  the  scarlet  oak  dazzle  one  with  the  lambent  brightness  of  flame. 
Whoever  revels  in  colour,  as  even  the  most  primitive  savage  does  — 
and  who,  indeed,  does  not  ? —  will  not  forget  to  include  in  his 
planting  list  some  trees  for  the  sake  of  their  greater  glory  after 
the  flowers  are  gone.  The  pepperidge  tree  and  star-leaved  sweet 
gum  would  be  desirable  if  for  no  other  merit  than  their  gorgeous 
autumnal  tints.  One  is  grateful  to  the  rugged,  sturdy  oaks  that 
hold  their  rich  mahogany  red  and  russet  leaves  late  into  the  new 
year  —  sometimes  until  the  new  growth  pushes  them  off.  Although 
e  larch,  a  less  vigorous  relative  of  the  pines  and  firs,  does  not 

tain  its  needle-like  leaves  after  they  turn  yellow  in  autumn, 
the  feathery  light  green  of  its  new  growth  that  one  touches  with  a 
caress,  and  its  delicate  curving  twigs,  strung  in  winter  with  little 
cones,  are  so  effective  against  the  sky  that  there  are  at  least  two 

xcellent  reasons  for  planting  it.     One  never  fully  appreciates 
e  paper  whiteness  of  the  birch,  the  most  spirituelle  of  all  trees, 

ntil  it  is  seen  without  a  leaf  to  cover  it,  chaste  and  purely  lovely 
inst  a  background  of  evergreens.     When  is  the  beech  tree  most 
autiful  —  when  its  fresh  green,   crinkled  and  varnished  leaves 

urst  from  their  brown  pointed  sheaths  in  May,  or  when  one  looks 

p  through  the  shining  yellow  of  their  gold  to  a  clear,  deep-blue 


146  The  American  Flower  Garden 

October  sky;  or  when  the  smooth,  silvery  gray  trunk  and  branches 
are  softly  etched  against  the  snow  ? 

THE    BEST    OF   THE   ORNAMENTAL  DECIDUOUS  TREES    FOR   LAWNS 

AND    GARDENS 

ASH,  WEEPING  (Fraxinus  excelsior,  var.  pendula).  50  feet.  Best  tall 
canopy  tree.  Round-spreading  top,  forming  an  ideal  shady  arbour 
or  summer  house.  Grows  rapidly,  spreading  50  feet.  Give 
ample  room  for  development.  Unsuitable  for  small  gardens. 
Attacked  by  a  fungus,  but  not  seriously  injured  by  it. 

BAY,  SWEET,  SWAMP,  OR  WHITE.     See  MAGNOLIA. 

BEECH,  AMERICAN  (Fagus  ferrugined). ,  EUROPEAN  (F.  sylvaticd). 

80  feet.  The  former  makes  the  largest  tree,  long-lived,  with 
smooth,  light-gray  bark,  and  remarkably  pretty  yellowish  foliage 
in  the  spring.  Edible  nuts.  The  European  beech  is  more  compact, 

slower  in  growth,  and  has  many  varieties:     ,  FERN-LEAVED 

(var.  beteropbylla).  Foliage  finely  cut.  The  most  deeply  cut  of 
all  the  beeches;  leaves  divided  clear  to  the  midrib.  Young 
leaves  tendril-like.  Plant  in  open,  where  outline  is  seen  against 

the    sky.     Also    desirable  near   dwelling  houses. ,  RIVERS'S 

(var.  purpurea  Riversi).  Dark  purplish  maroon.  The  best  dark- 
leaved  tree.  Absolutely  hardy,  while  the  paler,  purple  beech  is 
not.  Branches  low  down.  Grand  lawn  specimen  tree,  with  sym- 
metrical head.  Colour  varies,  so  select  dark-coloured  specimens, 

which  are  the  hardiest.     ,  WEEPING  (var.  penduld).     50  feet. 

Pendulous,  irregularly  odd-looking,  but  not  freakish.  Branches 
have  billowy  effect.  Slow-growing  and  long-lived.  Can  be  planted 
in  conspicuous  places. 

BIRCH  (Betula  alba).  80  feet.  Small,  light-green  foliage;  silvery,  almost 
white>  bark.  One  of  the  most  picturesque  trees,  but  needing  a 
background,  preferably  evergreens;  rapid  grower  even  in  thin,  dry 
soil.  Most  effective  medium-sized  tree  in  the  spring.  ,  CUT- 
LEAVED  (var.  pendula  laciniatd).  65  feet.  Most  graceful  of  the 
cut-leaved  trees;  slender,  pendulous  branches.  The  full  character 
of  this  tree  is  not  seen  for  several  years.  Leader  always  erect,  giving 
spire-like  outline. 


Trees  147 

CATALPA  (Catalpa  speciosa).  50  feet.  White  tubular  flowers  in  large, 
showy  panicles.  June.  Quick  growing,  with  clean,  furrowed 
bark  and  large,  heart-shaped  leaves.  Hardy  wherever  apples 
grow.  Flowers  after  horse  chestnut.  The  long  seed  pods,  looking 
like  pencils,  scatter  seeds  in  winter.  Not  so  showy  as  C.  bignoniodes, 
but  a  better-habited  tree.  Leafs  out  late. 

CHERRY,  FLOWERING  (Prunus  avium  and  Cerasus  hortensis  fl.  />/.). 
20  feet.  White  and  pink;  flowers  an  inch  and  a  half  across  in 
clusters.  Among  the  most  graceful  of  the  second-early  flow- 
ering trees,  the  foliage  beginning  to  develop  as  the  flowers 
burst  open.  Will  thrive  under  conditions  that  suit  the  fruiting 
peach  or  cherry.  Double  varieties,  resembling  little  roses,  last 
longer  than  the  singles. 

CHESTNUT,  HORSE  (JEsculus  Hippocastanum).  90  feet.  Covered  with 
pyramids  of  flowers  in  June.  Big  varnished  winter  buds;  tent-like 
leaves.  Always  dropping  scales,  flowers,  fruit,  or  rusty  leaves. 
Too  dense  for  streets,  and  an  untidy  tree  on  trim  lawns. 

CRAB,  BECHTEL'S  (Pyrus  loensis,  var.  fl.  pi.).  30  feet.  Pink.  May. 
Best  of  double-flowered  ornamental  apples;  flowers  2  inches  across. 
When  out  of  flower  looks  like  an  ordinary  crab.  Needs  as  much 

spraying   as    fruit  trees.     ,  FLOWERING     (P.   floribunda).     15 

feet.  May.  Most  floriferous,  early  flowering  small  tree,  or 
sometimes  a  large  shrub.  The  arching  branches  are  strings  of 
rose-coloured  flowers,  seen  with  leaves.  Plant  in  masses  against 
dark  background  of  taller  trees.  Fruits  make  good  jelly.  Spray 
for  scale  and  woolly  aphis.  For  San  Jose  scale  the  surest  remedy 
is  spraying  with  the  lime-sulphur  mixture  prepared  by  mixing  15 
to  25  pounds  of  unslacked  lime,  15  pounds  of  sulphur,  and  50  gallons 
of  water,  combining  with  heat  and  spraying  on  the  plants  imme- 
diately. More  convenient,  but  a  little  less  efficacious,  are  special 
preparations  of  lime-sulphur  and  of  miscible  oils,  which  are  merely 
diluted  with  water  and  are  then  ready  for  use.  Several  special 
preparations  of  this  character  are  offered  under  proprietary  trade 
names;  they  are  practically  the  same.  For  all  ordinary  scales,  the 
whale-oil  soap  solution  is  satisfactory.  Use  one  to  two  pounds  of 
the  soap  to  one  gallon  of  hot  water. 

rcuMBER  TREE  (Magnolia  acuminata).      One  of  the   best  pyramidal 
trees  for  lawns.     (See  MAGNOLIA.) 


148  The  American  Flower  Garden 

CYPRESS,  BALD  (Taxodium  distichum).  60  feet.  A  comparatively 
narrow,  tapering  tree,  deciduous  although  coniferous;  native  of 
swampy  lands,  where  it  throws  up  characteristic  knees  from  its 
roots;  but  will  grow  in  dry  lands.  Particularly  well  adapted  to  the 
South.  A  good  tree  for  narrow  streets. 

DOGWOOD,  FLOWERING  (Cornus  floridd).  30  feet.  Big  white  bracts, 
making  flower-like  displays  in  May;  particularly  showy  in  wood 
foregrounds.  Blooms  with  magnolias;  scarlet  berries  and  foliage 
in  fall,  also  young  twigs  crimson.  Particularly  valuable  for  partially 
shaded  as  well  as  fully  exposed  spots.  Var.  rubra  has  bracts  of  vary- 
ing intensity,  from  pink  to  red. 

ELDER,  Box,  VARIEGATED  (Acer  Negundo,  var.  argenteo-variegatum). 
60  feet.  Green  and  white.  Best  conspicuously  variegated-leaved 
hardy  tree;  rapid  grower;  little  seen.  So  markedly  distinct  that  it 
is  usually  used  in  small  sizes  only.  Not  advisable  for  landscape 
effect. 

ELM,  AMERICAN  or  WHITE  (Ulmus  Americana).  100  feet.  Best  of  our 
native  shade  trees.  Arches  high  over  street  or  house,  leaving  good 
space  above  roof  for  air  and  diffused  light.  Rich  bottom  land 
preferred.  Seriously  attacked  in  certain  regions  by  gipsy  moths 
and  elm  beetles,  which  defoliate  it  in  August.  In  regions  where  the 
elm-leaf  beetle  is  a  pest  the  trees  should  be  sprayed  with  arsenate  of 
lead,  which  can  be  prepared  thus :  Take  soda  arsenate  4  ounces;  lead 
acetate,  12  ounces;  water,  16  ounces.  Dissolve  each  salt  in  half  the 
quantity  of  water;  mix,  and  let  stand  twelve  hours.  The  precipi- 
tated arsenate  of  lead  is  then  mixed  with  50  gallons  of  water,  and  is 
ready  for  use.  This  adheres  well  to  the  foliage.  Spraying  should 

be  done  in  May  and  August.  ,  CAMPERDOWN  (Ulmus  scabra, 

var.  penduld).  Usually  grafted  at  8  feet.  Canopy-like  head  forms  a 
perfect  hollow,  dome-like  tent,  spreading  to  30  feet.  Very  free 
grower.  Plant  as  an  isolated  specimen  on  the  lawn,  where  it  can  be 
used  as  a  summer  house  or  children's  playhouse. 

EMPRESS  TREE  (Paulownia  imperial  is).  100  feet.  Unique,  gloxinia- 
like  flowers,  with  vanilla  fragrance.  Violet.  May,  before  Catalpa. 
Rapid  grower.  Leaves  a  foot  across.  Sprouts  from  roots.  Flower 
buds  killed  by  severe  winters  North.  Seed  vessels  look  ragged. 
Flowers  having  no  background  are  poorly  seen  against  sky.  Hardy 
to  New  York. 


Trees  149 

GINKGO.    See  MAIDENHAIR  TREE. 

HAWTHORN,  ENGLISH  (Crat&gus  Oxyacantha).  30  feet.  White,  pink 
to  red.  June.  Perfectly  hardy;  thrives  on  dry  soil.  Stands  severe 
trimming.  Many  varieties,  single  and  double,  which  are  referred  to 
another  species,  C.  monogyna,  by  the  hair-splitting  botanists.  Red 
berries,  relished  by  birds.  Clothed  with  sharp  thorns.  Very  slow 
growing  after  10  feet  high.  Spray  for  scale.  See  CRAB. 

HERCULES  CLUB  (Aralia  spinosa).  40  feet.  Huge,  handsome  pinnate 
leaves.  Flowers  fleecy  white,  in  large,  broad,  clustered  panicle, 
followed  by  dark  purple  berries  in  heavy  clusters,  relished  by  migrant 
birds  in  autumn.  Blooms  in  midsummer.  One  of  the  most 
showy  native  trees,  except  in  winter,  when  its  spiny,  club-like  trunks 

without   branches,   alone   remain.     ,  CHINESE  ANGELICA  (A. 

Cbinensis).     Similar,  with  leaves  2  to  3  feet  long,  and  flowering  a 
week  earlier. 

HICKORY  (Hicoria  alba).  100  feet,  or  less.  Adapted  to  great  range  of 
soils.  Slow  growing  and  difficult  to  transplant.  Characteristic 
shaggy  bark.  Open  mantle  of  foliage  makes  broken  shade. 

LABURNUM  (Laburnum  vulgare).  20  feet.  Yellow.  May.  Flowers  in 
June  like  a  yellow  wistaria.  Clean,  smooth  bark.  Equally  good 
on  all  sorts  of  soil,  including  lime.  Poisonous  in  all  parts,  espe- 
cially fruits.  Not  quite  hardy  north  of  New  York.  Seedlings  crop 
up  all  around.  Give  abundance  of  water.  The  laburnum  is  at 
its  best  in  rainy  Ireland. 

LAUREL,  GREAT.     See  MAGNOLIA. 

JNDEN  (Tilia  Americana).  90  feet.  Dense,  round  head  when  young. 
Rapid  grower.  White  fragrant  flowers  attract  bees.  Needs 
no  attention  after  planting.  Very  variable  and  much  confused 
with  European  species,  T.  petiolaris,  which  is  smaller,  and  has  leaves 
hairy  beneath. 

:UST,  FALSE  ACACIA  (Robinia  Pseudacacia).  80  feet.  White. 
Fragrant  pea-like  flowers  in  May,  June.  Quick  growing  when 
young.  Makes  a  moderate  spread  with  irregular  outline.  Attacked 
by  a  borer,  spreads  freely  by  seeds,  and  suckers  badly. 
[AGNOLIA  (Various  species).  These  embrace  the  largest-flowered  and 
most  conspicuously  ornamental  deciduous  trees;  some  evergreen, 
some  deciduous,  and  some  are  shrubs.  Besides  being  the  largest 
flowered,  they  are  also  among  the  most  fragrant.  The  deciduous 
species  are  reasonably  hardy,  and  in  sheltered  positions  may  be 


150  The  American  Flower  Garden 

planted  as  far  north  as  Massachusetts,  some  running  even  above 
that.  Excepting  M.  glauca,  which  thrives  in  swampy  situations, 
the  whole  family  prefers  sandy  or  peaty  loam,  moderately  moist. 
Transplanting  is  difficult  on  account  of  the  thick,  spongy  roots,  and 
is  to  be  done  as  growth  starts.  Propagation  is  by  seeds  or  layers. 

Plant   with   evergreens   for    background     ,  CUCUMBER    TREE 

(Magnolia  acuminatd).  60  to  100  feet.  Leaves  slightly  hairy, 
light  green  beneath.  Flowers  greenish  yellow;  3  inches  across. 
May,  June.  Fruit  conical,  pink.  The  hardiest  species.  Foliage 

yellow  in  the  fall.     The  most  inconspicuous  in  its  flowers.     , 

LARGE-LEAVED  (M.  macropbylla).  30  to  50  feet.  Of  slender 
growth,  making  a  broad,  round  head.  Leaves  up  to  30  inches 
long;  bright  green  above,  silvery  white  below.  The  flowers  10  to 
12  inches  across,  white,  with  a  purple  centre.  May,  June.  Highly 
decorative  with  the  cone-like  fruit  becoming  bright  red.  Hardy 
to  Boston.  The  largest-leaved  magnolia.  Should  be  given  a  shel- 
tered position.  ,  FRASER'S  (M.  Fraseri).  30  to  40  feet.  Usually 

with  a  leaning  trunk.  Flowers  cream-white,  8  to  10  inches  across. 
June.  Fruit  rose  red,  5  inches  long.  Distinguished  by  the  peculiarly 

eared  leaf.     Almost  as  hardy   as  the  cucumber  tree. ,  GREAT 

LAUREL  (M.  fcetida).  50  to  80  feet.  Leaves  5  to  8  inches 
long,  dull  green.  Flowers  April  to  August.  White,  6  to  8  inches 
across.  Cup-shaped,  solitary.  Hardy  to  Philadelphia.  Cut 

branches  used  for  winter  decoration. ,  HALL'S  (M.  stellatd).    See 

SHRUBS,  p.  181.     ,   SOULANGE'S   (M.  Soulangeana).     30  feet. 

May.  White-pink  blossoms,  six  inches  long,  appearing  before  the 
leaves.  Plant  against  dark  backgrounds;  small  specimens  two  to 
three  feet  high  will  bloom.  The  largest-flowered,  small  hardy  tree; 
transplant  only  in  spring.  A  number  of  garden  hybrids  of  extreme 

beauty  are  allied  to  this.      -,  SWAMP  BAY  (M.  glauca).     50  to  75 

feet.   Sometimes  a  shrub.   Though  evergreen  in  the  South,  deciduous 
in  the   North.     Leaves    smooth,  lustrous,  bright  green  with  silvery 
lining.     Flowers   2   to   3   inches    across;    creamy   white,   fragrant. 
The  best  magnolia  for  general  cultivation,  thriving  from  New  Yorl 
south.     More  floriferous  when   cut  back  and  treated    as   a  shrub. 

,  YULAN   (M.   conspicua).     30   feet.     White,    fragrant  flowers 

expanding  to  six  inches.  May.  The  largest  white-flowered  tree 
that  is  hardy  farther  north  than  Long  Island. 


Trees  151 

MAIDENHAIR  TREE  (Ginkgo  biloba).  80  feet.  Singular  habit;  erect, 
pyramidal,  with  curiously  horizontal  branches.  Leaves  wedge- 
shaped.  Singular,  but  not  freakish  looking.  Free  from  insects  and 
fungi.  Perfectly  hardy.  Ripe  fruits  have  foul  odour.  Kernels 
eaten  by  Chinese. 

MAPLE,  JAPANESE  (Acer  palmatuni).  Low  specimens  up  to  20  feet. 
The  most  delicately  foliaged  small  tree.  Usually  used  as  a  shrub. 
Numerous  varieties  variously  cut,  and  some  coloured  red  or  purple. 
Plant  in  well-drained,  rich  soils,  and  partial  shade.  Handsome 

for  foregrounds  and  near  the  house,  and  in  the  rock  garden.      , 

RED  (A.  rubruni).  90  feet.  Earliest  blooming  of  the  large  trees; 
rounded  head  of  small  scarlet  flowers.  Should  be  planted  against 
evergreen  background.  Seed  pods  bright  red  in  summer;  leaves 
brilliant  orange  and  scarlet  in  fall.  Makes  a  tall,  rather  upright  tree. 
Does  not  thrive  on  hillsides  or  other  dry  land,  and  is  the  only  maple 

for  wet    and   swampy   sites.      ,  SILVER    (A.   saccbarinwn    or 

dasycarpum).  80  feet.  Quickest  growing  of  all  the  maples,  but 
soon  breaks  down,  and  is  very  liable  to  insect  attacks.  Much  used 
for  street  planting,  unfortunately,  but  can  be  improved  by  persistent 

pruning   to  a  single  stem.      ,   STRIPED    (A.    Pennsylvanica). 

40  feet.  Peculiarly  attractive  on  account  of  the  bark  of  the  trunk 
and  of  larger  branches  being  striped  with  white  or  yellowish  lines  on 
a  green  ground.  An  excellent  lawn  tree,  not  growing  too  large. 

Valuable    for  winter  effects. ,  SUGAR  (A.   saccbarum).     100 

feet.  Moist  soil  preferred.  The  best  shade  and  street  tree 
among  the  maples.  Long  enduring;  bright  red  and  yellow  foliage 
in  fall.  Transplant  when  young.  In  some  regions  attacked  by  the 
leopard  moth  and  other  borers.  When  young,  makes  numerous 
shoots  that  need  thinning.  — : — ,  NORWAY  (A.  platanoides). 
Much  like  the  preceding,  but  denser,  clear  yellow  in  fall,  and 

flowers  yellowish  green  in  spring.      ,  WIER'S  CUT-LEAVED  (A. 

saccharinum,  var.  Wieri).  ioo  feet.  Casting  very  heavy  shade. 
Vigorous,  upright  habit,  with  long,  arching,  pendulous  branches. 
Silver-green  leaves,  deeply  cut  on  youngest  branches.  Best  in 
young  specimens,  as  old  trees  become  prey  to  insects  and  are 
broken  by  storms. 

[OUNTAIN   ASH    (Sorbus  Americana).     30   feet.     Spreading.     Pinnate 
leaves.      White  flowers.     May,  June,  but  chiefly  valued  for  clusters 


152  The  American  Flower  Garden 

of  bright  red  berries  in  August,  September.     ,  EUROPEAN  (S. 

Aucuparia).  Thrives  in  extreme  North.  Very  brilliant  fruits; 
edible.  Many  garden  forms  of  this. 

MULBERRY,  RUSSIAN  (Morus  alba,  var.  Tataricd).  40  feet.  Fastest- 
growing,  long-lived  tree  for  the  West.  Stands  drought  well,  and 
also  shade.  Grows  twenty  feet  in  ten  years.  Gets  winter-killed  in 
the  Dakotas  and  Kansas.  Needs  pruning  as  a  shade  tree.  Edible 
fruits  litter  ground. 

OAK,  ENGLISH  (Quercus  Robur  or  pedunculata).  120  feet.  Stout,  spread- 
ing branches  and  broad,  round-topped  head.  Foliage  dark  green 
above,  and  pale  bluish-green  beneath.  2  to  5  inches  long.  Remains 
green  until  winter.  Extremely  variable.  The  historical  oak  of  Eng- 
land, but  thrives  poorly  in  America  with  the  exception  of  California. 

The  following  kinds  are  much  to  be  preferred.  ,  MOSSY  Cup 

(Q.  macrocarpa).  Distinguished  by  the  huge  shaggy  receptacles  for 
the  large  acorns.  80  feet,  but  sometimes  twice  as  much.  Spread- 
ing branches,  and  broad,  round  head.  Deeply  furrowed,  light 
brown  bark.  Leaves  bright  green  and  shining  above,  whitish 
beneath;  6  inches  long.  A  strong-growing,  stately  tree.  Very 
picturesque  in  winter.  Transplants  with  difficulty,  so  always 

buy  young  nursery  stock.  ,  PIN  (Q.  palustrls).  80  to 

120  feet,  with  large,  spreading  branches.  Pyramidal  head. 
Foliage,  bright  green  above,  light  green  beneath.  Very  handsome 
when  young.  The  most  rapid-growing  oak.  Useful  for  streets  and 
avenues.  Transplants  easily.  Prefers  moist  soil.  Foliage  scarlet 

in  fall. ,  RED  (Q.  rubra).  80  to  150  feet.  Stout,  spreading 

branches,  and  round-topped  head.  Leaves  dull  green  above,  light 
green  beneath.  Nearly  as  rapid  growing  as  the  pin  oak.  Foliage 

dark  red  in  fall.  The  best  oak  for  dry  uplands  and  rocky  soils.  , 

WHITE  (Q.  alba).  100  feet.  Stout  branches  with  round,  open  head. 
Bark  light  gray.  Leaves  bright  green,  becoming  violet-red  or 
violet-purple  in  fall.  One  of  the  best  trees  for  park  effects  in  the 
North.  It  prefers  moist  soil.  Does  not  transplant  easily.  Get 

young  nursery  stock.  ,  WILLOW  (Q.  Phellos).  50  to  80  feet. 

Slender  branches  and  conical  head.  Leaves  bright  green  and 
glossy  above,  light  green  beneath,  becoming  pale  yellow  in  fall. 
The  best  medium-sized  oak.  Prefers  very  moist,  almost  swampy 
soil.  Oaks  as  a  group  are  shallow-rooting  trees,  and  the  longest- 


Trees 

lived  of  all;  generally  easily  transplanted,  excepting  those  of  the 
white  oak  group.  This  peculiarity  seems  to  be  related  to  problems 
of  symbiotic  fungi  on  the  roots,  a  subject  that  is  as  yet  little  under- 
stood. In  transplanting  care  should  be  observed  to  avoid  violent 
changes  of  conditions. 

PEACH,  FLOWERING  (Persica  vulgaris,  var.  /?.-/?/.).  Up  to  30  feet,  but 
usually  seen  in  much  smaller  specimens.  Bright,  rosy  pink.  Flour- 
ishes wherever  common  peach  will  grow.  Should  be  pruned 
closely,  and  given  rich  soil.  Flowers  nearly  an  inch  across,  very 
double,  appearing  when  the  fruiting  peach  blooms.  Also  a  white 
variety  which  is  not  so  effective. 

POPLAR,  CAROLINA  (Populus  Carolimana).  100  ft.  Dry  soil  preferred. 
Fastest  growing  of  all  shade  trees;  best  for  most  crowded  parts  of 
large  cities.  Good  in  arid  states.  The  silky  pappus  shed  in  summer 
and  driven  by  the  wind  becomes  a  nuisance.  Soft  wood,  and  easily 

broken. ,  LOMBARDY  (  P.  nigra,  var.  Italicd).    60  feet.     Tall, 

columnar  tree  of  most  distinct  and  striking  habit  of  any  tree  suit- 
able for  the  North,  but  not  long-lived  in  the  northernmost  states. 
So  singular  that  it  should  be  planted  with  care.  Excellent  for  formal 
planting,  also  to  give  effect  of  height  on  a  plain,  or  to  add  to  effect 

of  a  low  cliff  or  ledge.     Suckers  from  root.     ,  TULIP  (Lirioden- 

dron  Tulipifera).  120  feet.  Yellow  tulip-like  flowers  in  May,  June. 
Fastest-growing,  longest-lived  soft-wood  tree  of  the  East.  Splendid 
lawn  specimen.  In  perfection  New  York  southward. 
"LANE,  ORIENTAL  (Platanus  orientalis).  80  feet.  Good  for  all  soils, 
even  water  side,  and  as  a  street  or  avenue  tree;  wide-spreading, 
making  regular-formed  head  with  better  outline  than  the 
Western  or  American  plane  (P.  occidental  is),  which  is  subject 
to  disease.  The  two  can  hardly  be  distinguished  in  the  young 
state.  The  shedding  of  the  bark  in  winter  makes  the  trees  pecu- 
liarly attractive. 

PAGODA  TREE  (Sophora  Japonica).  60  feet.  Loose  panicles  of  white, 
pea-like  flowers  in  July  (or  September  in  Massachusetts);  something 
like  a  white  acacia.  The  peculiar  method  of  branching  makes  it  a 
most  interesting  winter  tree.  Not  hardy  far  north.  One  of  the 
most  graceful-looking  large  trees. 

RED  BUD,  JUDAS  TREE  (Cercis  Canadensis).  30  feet.  Purplish-pink 
pea-like  flowers  wreathing  the  branches.  Blooms  with  magnolia 


I54  The  American  Flower  Garden 

and  shadbush  before  the  leaves.  Best  planted  in  spring.  Isolate 
from  other  colours.  Evergreens  for  background  most  effective. 

SHADBUSH  (Amelancbier  Canadensis).  20  feet.  Mass  of  small,  white, 
plum-like  flowers  in  very  early  spring;  berries  May  to  June,  red, 
relished  by  nesting  birds.  Hardy  in  extreme  North,  and  becoming 
a  tree  60  feet  in  the  South.  Most  effective  white-flowered  tree  along 
woodland  borders  in  the  spring  before  the  dogwood.  Flowers  with 
red  bud. 

SORREL  TREE  (Oxydendrum  arboreum).  60  feet.  Attractive  all  the 
year.  Terminal  clusters  of  white  flowers  in  June.  Foliage  changes 
to  crimson  in  the  fall.  Conspicuous  seed  pods  remain  white  for  a 
long  time.  Young  wood  has  crimson  bark.  Stands  shade. 

SWEET  GUM  (Liquid  ambar  styraciflua).  50  feet.  Characteristic  tree 
in  the  South,  but  not  thriving  north  of  New  York.  Hard  to  trans- 
plant. The  ivy-like  leaves  become  beautifully  yellow  and  red  in  the 
fall.  Seed  balls  and  corky  wings  on  the  branches  give  character 
in  the  winter.  Does  well  near  water. 

TAMARACK  (Larix  Americana).  60  feet.  Deciduous,  coniferous  tree; 
needle-like  leaves,  pale  green,  fading  to  golden  yellow  in  autumn. 
Grows  on  any  soil,  and  is  better  than  the  larch  (L.  Europe  a), 
which  demands  well-drained  soil. 

TULIP  TREE.     See  POPLAR,  TULIP. 

TUPELO,  SOUR  GUM  (Nyssa  sylvatica).  75  feet.  Picturesque,  bold- 
looking  tree,  valuable  for  distant  effects.  Bright  scarlet  foliage  in 
autumn.  Winter  character  peculiarly  desolate  because  of  droop- 
ing limbs.  Does  not  transplant  well. 

VARNISH  TREE  (Kcelreuteria  paniculatd).  60  feet.  Yellow  flowers, 
June  and  July,  followed  by  ornamental  curved  seed  pods  2  feet 
long.  Foliage  finely  divided,  becoming  rich  crimson  in  the  fall. 
One  of  the  handsomest  of  the  Japanese  trees. 

WALNUT,  BLACK  (Juglans  nigra).  125  feet.  Preferred  soil,  fertile  hill- 
side and  bottom  land.  Especially  suited  to  the  West  and  even  on 
alkali  lands.  Requires  wide  space  to  develop.  In  the  East,  often 
disfigured  by  large  webs  of  the  webworm,  which  should  be  burned 
off  with  torches  on  poles.  Drops  its  leaves  rather  eaily  in  the  fall. 

WILLOW,  WEEPING  (Salix  Babylonicd).  40  feet.  Branches  pendulous. 
Most  rapid-growing  "weeper"  thriving  in  average  soils.  Olive- 


Trees  155 

green  bark  in  winter;  var.  aurea  has  yellow  bark.  Best  effect  when 
planted  on  margins  of  water.  In  extreme  North,  plant  var.  dolorosa. 
The  upright  willows  look  much  alike,  but  are  good  for  quick  effect 

as  screens  to  be  cut  out  later.  ,  PUSSY  (S.  discolor).  20  feet. 

Thrives  equally  on  wet  or  dry  ground.  ,  ROSEMARY  (S.  incana). 

With  narrow  leaves,  white  underneath,  giving  gray  effect.  Grafted 
on  hardy  stock  is  an  effective  small  lawn  specimen,  usually  used  as 
shrub. 

YELLOW  WOOD  (Cladrastis  tinctoria,  Virgilia  luted).  50  feet.  White. 
June.  Fragrant  flowers,  like  a  white  wistaria,  lasting  several  days. 
Sought  by  bees.  Hardy  in  Canada.  Gray  beech-like  bark.  Shy 
and  intermittent  bloomer  except  in  South.  Fruits  hang  on  all 
winter. 

YULAN.     See  MAGNOLIA. 

DECORATIVE  EVERGREENS  FOR  GARDEN  USE 

ADAM'S  NEEDLE  (Yucca  filamento so).     See  HERBACEOUS  PLANTS,  p.  229. 

ANDROMEDA.     See  ROSEMARY,  WILD,  and  FETTER  BUSH. 

ARBORVITAE  (Thuya  occidentalis).  Up  to  40  feet.  Best  orna- 
mental evergreen  of  moderate  height.  Excellent  as  hedge, 
screen,  windbreak,  or  specimen.  Foliage  brownish  green,  becom- 
ing darker  with  winter.  Give  good  soil  and  not  too  dry. 
The  Siberian  variety,  (var.  Ware  ana?)  is  narrower,  denser  and 
better  coloured  in  winter.  There  are  many  varieties,  the  most 
important  being  "George  Peabody,"  orange  yellow,  useful  for 
bedding,  and  var.  globosa,  dwarf,  less  than  two  feet  high. 
Bright  green. 

AZALEA,  SHOWY  (Azalea  amcena).  2  feet.  Low,  dense  bush.  Leaves 
become  rich  bronze  in  winter.  Somewhat  resembling  boxwood, 
the  leaves  being  of  same  size.  Flowers  rosy  purple,,  completely 
obscuring  foliage.  May.  Isolate.  The  most  floriferous  ever- 
green. Useful  for  hedges  or  for  massing  with  rhododendrons  that 
do  not  bloom  at  same  time.  Peaty  soil.  Give  protection  from 
severe  winds. 

BAY,  BULL  (Magnolia  grandiflora).  80  feet.  Pyramidal  habit.  Leaves 
thick,  leathery,  glossy  dark  green,  reddish  brown  underneath. 
Most  important  evergreen  tree  of  the  South.  Doubtfully  hardy 


156  The  American  Flower  Garden 

north  of  Philadelphia,  but  reported  in  favoured  situations  on  Long 
Island,  where,  however,  it  is  deciduous.  Immense  white,  fragrant 

flowers  I  foot  across.  Transplants  badly.  ,  SWEET  (Laurus 

nobilis).  The  most  popular  formal  evergreen  for  formal  gardens, 
terraces  and  vestibules,  etc.  Not  hardy,  but  largely  used  in  tubs 
and  pots  for  summer  decoration,  and  always  in  artificially  trained 
forms,  pyramid,  standard,  and  so  forth.  Must  be  stored  over 
winter  in  a  frost-proof  cellar. 

BOXWOOD  (Buxus  sempervirens).  20  feet,  but  usually  much  smaller. 
Very  slow  growing.  The  box  of  old  gardens.  (See  HEDGE  PLANTS, 
p.  188.)  ,  DWARF  (var.  su/ruticosa).  Similar,  but  never  grow- 
ing tall.  Best  for  formal  edging  to  beds,  etc.  ,  ORIENTAL 

(5.  Japonica).  6  feet,  with  more  rounded  leaves,  nearly  as  hardy; 
is  very  desirable  for  hedges  from  Philadelphia  southward.  Var. 
mlcrophylla  is  a  decided  dwarf,  often  prostrate  shrub. 

CEDAR  OF  LEBANON  (Cedrus  Libani).  With  peculiarly  tabled  horizontal 
branches,  dark,  dull  green.  Not  hardy  North  of  New  York.  70  feet. 
A  recent  form  now  under  trial  at  the  Arnold  Arboretum  promises 

to  be  quite  hardy.  ,  MT.  ATLAS  (Cedrus  Atlantic  a).  120  feet. 

Leaves  less  than  an  inch  long.  The  hardiest  of  the  cedars  growing 
near  New  York  with  shelter,  on  well-drained  loamy  soil.  Graceful 
feathery,  slightly  drooping  branches  in  young  specimens.  Var. 

glauca  has  bluish  foliage.  ,RED(Juniperus  Virginiand).  Up  to 

100  feet.  The  best  tree  of  the  cedar  type  for  American  gardens. 
From  Nova  Scotia  to  Florida.  A  symmetrical,  often  columnar  tree, 
dense  and  dark  coloured.  Valuable  for  formal  gardens,  wind- 
breaks, and  seaside  planting.  Adapted  to  every  kind  of  soil. 
Extremely  variable  in  outline  and  colour. 

COTONEASTER,  BOX-LEAVED  (Cotoneaster  buxifolia).  Low  spreading 
shrub  with  dark  green  persistent  leaves  resembling  boxwood. 
Flowers  small,  white.  May,  June.  Followed  by  bright  red  fruit. 
(C.  microphylla).  Similar,  with  brighter  foliage. 

CRYPTOMERIA  (C.  Japonica,  var.  Lobbt).  Useful  only  when  quite  young. 
Up  to  8  feet.  Very  pretty,  light  green,  wiry  but  drooping 
branches.  There  is  a  plant  of  the  type  40  feet  high  at  Dosoris, 
L.  I.,  but  is  not  usually  considered  hardy.  The  var.  Lobbi  is 
probably  the  quickest  growing  short-leaved  conifer  that  is  hardy 
at  New  York. 


Trees 

CYPRESS,  JAPANESE.  See  RETINISPORA.  ,  LAWSON'S  (Chama- 

cypans  Lawsomana).  The  most  beautiful  and  probably  the  tallest 
of  the  American  cypresses  attaining  200  feet  in  Northern  California. 
Ascending  branches  with  drooping  tips  giving  graceful  plumose 
effect.  Very  rapid  grower  when  young.  Great  merit  is  that  it 
does  well  in  the  mountains  toward  the  South,  but  is  not  reliably 
hardy  in  New  England.  Very  variable.  It  is  to  the  South  what 
the  retinisporas  are  to  the  North. 

EUONYMUS  (E.  Japonicus).  6  feet;  upright-growing  shrub,  with  glossy 
dark-green  leaves.  ij  to  2  inches  long.  Does  best  along  the 
coast.  Not  quite  hardy  in  the  North,  except  in  shaded,  protected 

situations.  Several  variegated  forms.  ,  CREEPING  (E.  radi- 

cans).  (See  VINES,  p.  333.) 

FETTER  BUSH  (Pieris  floribundd).  Dense  growing  bush  with  dull,  deep- 
green  foliage.  Flowers  in  drooping,  terminal  tassels.  White.  April, 
May;  2  to  4  feet.  The  conspicuous  flower  buds  all  winter 
make  this  plant  particularly  decorative  for  bordering  drives,  etc. 

,  JAPANESE,  or  ANDROMEDA  (P.  Japonica).  Similar  to  the 

foregoing,  but  larger  and  with  looser  habit  of  growth. 

FIR,  BALSAM  (Abies  balsamea).  50  to  80  feet.  A  slender  tree.  Foliage 
dark  green  and  lustrous  above,  pale  below.  The  common  fir  of 
eastern  North  America,  giving  Canada  balsam.  Foliage  fragrant 
in  drying.  Loses  its  beauty  early  in  cultivation.  Thrives  on  a 

variety  of  soils  and  where  other  evergreens  would  fail.  , 

NORDMANN'S  (A.  Nordmanniana).  Most  ornamental  and  stateliest 
fir.  100  to  150  feet.  Glossy  dark  foliage.  Broadly  conical  out- 
line. Leaves  remain  on  the  trees  for  eight  years.  Thicker  and 
wider  than  most  conifers.  Uninjured  by  salt  spray.  Large  speci- 
mens transplant  badly.  Said  to  winter-kill  in  some  spots  near 

Philadelphia,  but  is  uninjured  much  farther  north.  ,  RED. 

See  SPRUCE,  DOUGLAS.  ,  WHITE  (A.  concolor).  The  best 

fir  in  the  North,  withstanding  heat  and  drought.  Very  hardy.  250 
feet.  Rapid  grower,  and  the  most  ornamental  fir  for  the  East. 

(Needles  bluish,  curved  and  with  feathery  effect.  Conical  habit, 
and  with  little  pruning  makes  a  very  compact  tree.  A.  lasio- 
carpa  is  similar,  but  more  compact. 

GARLAND  FLOWER  (Daphne  Cneorum).  With  trailing  branches.  Dark 
green  linear  leaves.  Flowers  in  clustered  heads.  Purplish  pink. 


I58  The  American  Flower  Garden 

Fragrant.     April,  May,  and  again  in  the  summer;  i   foot.     Th< 
most  fragrant  low  evergreen.     Prefers  deep,  rich  peaty  soil. 
(D.    Blagayana).     With    ascending   branches.     Flowers    white    or 
yellowish,  April,  May.     Grafts  die  without  apparent  cause. 

HEMLOCK  (Tsuga  Canadensis).  Most  ornamental  Eastern  evergreen. 
Has  general  character  of  the  Norway  spruce,  but  more  graceful  and 
lighter,  brighter  colour.  Endures  shade  and  valuable  for  bordering 
woodlands,  but  will  not  stand  salt  spray.  Also  the  best  evergreen 
hedge  plant,  standing  trimming  well.  See  also,  HEDGES,  p.  188. 

HOLLY,  AMERICAN  (Ilex  opaca).  Dull  green,  spiny  leaves,  with  bright  red 
berries  in  winter  if  staminate  tree  is  planted  among  pistillate  ones. 

Up  to  50  ft.     ,  ENGLISH  (7.  Aquifolium).    More  lustrous  than 

the  American,  but  not  so  hardy.     Grows  near  New  York  in  moist, 
drained  soil  with  shelter.     Numerous  varieties  cultivated  in  Europe. 

,  JAPANESE  (/.  crenata).     Resembles  boxwood  in  foliage,  but 

plant  is  more  irregular  in  outline.     Comparatively  new.     Thrives 
perfectly  in  Bronx  Park,  New  York,  but  is  winter-killed  nearby. 

INKBERRY  (Ilex  glabrd).  Upright.  Much  branched.  Profusion  of 
black  berries  all  winter;  2  to  4  feet.  Best  broad-leaved  evergreen 
for  full  sun  in  the  North.  Mature  plants  resemble  old  boxwood. 

JUNIPER,  COMMON  (Juni perils  communis).  The  English  and  Irish 
junipers  are  forms  of  this  one,  the  latter  being  columnar.  Not  desir- 
able in  eastern  North  America,  being  extremely  short  lived. 

LAUREL,  MOUNTAIN  (Kalmia  lati folia).  10  feet.  Valuable  native 
for  mass  planting  and  for  hedges  (see  p.  189).  Flowers  in  large 
clusters.  Pink,  rose,  and  white.  May,  June.  With  the  rhododendron 

is  the  most  valuable  flowering  evergreen.     ,  NARROW-LEAVED 

(K.  an  gusti folia.)     Smaller  leaves  and  rosy  purple  flowers.     June, 
July;  3   feet.     ,  GREAT.     (See  Rhododendron  maximum.) 

LEUCOTHOE  (Leucothoe  Catesbai).  Trailing  plant.  Flowers  lily-of-the- 
valley  like;  creamy  white,  fragrant.  May.  Should  be  used  as  ground 
cover  in  groups.  Long  arching  sprays  of  dark  glossy  foliage  becoming 
claret-coloured  when  exposed  to  sun.  Thrives  with  rhododendron. 

MAHONIA  (Berberis  Aquifolium).  Yellow  flowers  and  bluish-gray  fruit. 
(See  ASHBERRY,  in  HEDGE  PLANTS,  p.  187).  ,  CREEPING  (Ber- 
beris re  pens),  i  foot.  Leaflets  pale  glaucous  green  and  dull.  Flow- 
ers yellow.  May.  Fruit  an  oblong  blue  berry.  Useful  for 
carpeting.  Hardy  in  the  North.  ,  JAPAN  (B.  Japonic  a). 


Trees  159 

5  to  10  feet.  Like  a  magnified  mahonia  or  ashberry.  Leaves 
holly-like,  more  than  a  foot  long.  Fruit  black.  Hardy  in  New 
York  with  shelter.  The  B.  Japonica  of  gardens  is  B.  Nepalensis, 
not  so  tall,  with  fewer  spines  but  more  leaflets. 

MYRTLE,  TRAILING,  or  PERIWINKLE  (Vinca  minor).    See  VINES,  p.  335. 

PINE,  AUSTRIAN  (Pinus  Laricio,  var.  Austriaca).  Rapid  grower,  suc- 
ceeding on  a  variety  of  soils.  125  feet.  Hardy.  Of  dark,  sombre 
aspect,  hence  called  black  pine.  Short  branches  with  stiff,  long 
needles.  Stands  wind  and  salt  spray.  Keeps  its  colour  all  winter. 
Begins  to  deteriorate  when  about  twenty-five  years  old.  Used  as  a 

temporary  windbreak.  ,  DWARF  MOUNTAIN  (P.  montana,  var. 

Mughus).  The  best  dwarf  pine,  eventually  becoming  10  feet  high. 
Invaluable  for  roadbanks,  terraces,  massing  at  entrances,  also 
as  lawn  specimens.  Makes  an  almost  globular  bush  with  charac- 
teristic pine  growth.  Leaves  bright  green.  Does  well  on  variety 

of  soils  if  well  drained.  ,  PITCH  (P.  rigida).  Horizontal 

spreading  branches,  making  an  open,  irregular  pyramid.  80  feet; 
leaves  2  to  5  inches  long.  Very  hardy  and  of  rapid  growth  when 
young.  Easily  raised  from  seed.  Useful  on  dry  and  rocky  sterile 
soils.  Sprouts  readily  from  stumps.  Very  picturesque  when  old. 

,  RED  (P.  resinosa).  One  of  the  best  of  the  hardy  conifers, 

thriving  up  to  the  far  north.  100  feet.  Medium  green,  long  leaves, 
grows  upon  any  drained  soil.  Particularly  picturesque  when  aged. 
A  good  tree  for  garden  use,  as  it  stands  cutting  and  trimming.  One 

of  the  best  for  screens,  hedges,  and  windbreaks.  ,  SCOTCH 

(P.  sylvestris).  Similar  to  Austrian  pine  in  all  respects  except 

that  foliage  is  blue-green  and  shorter.  ,  UMBRELLA  (Scia- 

dopitys  verticillata).  Unique  in  character,  having  long  narrow 
leaves  of  a  lustrous  green,  in  whorls.  100  feet.  A  narrow  compact 
pyramid;  rather  slow  growth.  Hardy  to  Maine.  Thrives  in  mod- 
erately moist  loam  and  also  clay.  ,  WHITE  (Pinus  Strobus). 

Most  useful  conifer  for  general  planting,  and  tallest  evergreen  tree 
of  Eastern  America.  150  feet.  Thrives  anywhere  except  on 
wet  clay  subsoil.  Needles  long,  and  brighter  green  than  most 
conifers.  Very  picturesque  and  rugged  with  age.  Makes  annual 
growth  of  2  feet.  Horizontal  branches  in  whorls.  Easily  injured 
by  winds  until  10  or  12  feet  high.  Often  attacked  by  mealy  bug 
and  woolly  aphis  when  young;  spray  with  kerosene  emulsion. 


160  The  American  Flower  Garden 

RETINISPORA,  JAPAN  CYPRESS  (Chamcecyparis  pisifera).  Usually  3 
to  6  feet.  The  most  decorative  of  all  the  conifers.  Only  the  young 
plants  are  in  cultivation.  The  mature  trees  are  never  used  for 
garden  planting,  having  totally  different  habit  and  appearance. 
Beautiful  feathery  foliage.  Slow  growth.  Usually  used  in  orna- 
mental groups  or  as  lawn  specimens.  Var.  filifera  has  long  drooping 
branches  and  thread-like  branchlets;  foliage,  light  green.  Var. 
plumosa  has  short  branches  with  feathery  effect.  Var.  plumosa 
aurea  is  similar,  but  golden  yellow.  Much  used  for  bedding. 

Var.  squarrosa  is  silvery  blue.     (C.  obtusa).     Differs  from  the 

preceding  in  having  dark  green  arborvitae-like  branches.  Var. 
nana  is  much  trained  in  dwarf  forms  by  the  Japanese.  All  the 
retinisporas  want  very  rich  soil  to  do  well. 

RHODODENDRON,  ROSE  BAY,  GREAT  LAUREL  (Rhododendron  maxi- 
mum). Large  shrub  or  small  tree.  Up  to  35  feet,  but  usually  seen 
about  6  feet.  Without  exception  the  most  important  broad-leaved 
evergreen  for  massing.  Planted  by  the  carload.  Very  hardy 
through  the  coldest  winters.  Leaves  whitish  beneath,  4  to  10 
inches  long.  Flowers  white  or  pale  pink  with  greenish  spots  inside. 
June,  July.  Demands  open  soil,  well  drained,  but  not  over  dry. 
Shows  a  distinct  dislike  of  lime,  but  can  be  grown  in  limestone  soils 
in  beds  excavated  for  several  feet  and  filled  in  with  fresh  compost, 
largely  peat  and  leaf-mould.  Hardy  into  Canada.  Transplant  by 

preference  from  a  turfy  soil.  ,  CATAWBA  (R.  Catawbiense). 

Shrub.  Usually  6  feet;  rarely  20  feet.  Less  hardy  than  maximum. 
Leaves,  glaucous  beneath,  3  to  5  inches  long.  Flowers  lilac-purple. 
June.  An  important  shrub  for  massing  south  of  New  England. 
,  HYBRIDS  (R.  Catawbiense  and  R.  Ponticumy  a  tender  spe- 
cies). Among  the  most  beautiful  conspicuously  flowered  evergreens. 
There  are  numerous  varieties  offered.  Large  globe-like  trusses  of 
flowers  appearing  in  May,  June.  Some  of  the  most  popular  varie- 
ties are:  Delicatissimum,  blush  white,  tinted  pink;  Everestianum, 
rosy  lilac  spotted  and  fringed,  the  most  popular  of  all  the  hybrids; 
Caractacus,  purple  crimson;  C.  S.  Sargent,  bright  scarlet;  Roseum 
superbum,  light  rose;  Charles  Dickens,  dark  scarlet;  Gloriosa,  bluish 
white;  Album  elegans,  white;  H.  H.  Hunnewell,  dark  crimson. 

ROSEMARY,  WILD  (Andromeda  pcli folia).  Narrow,  leaves,  if  inches 
long,  with  revolute  margins,  whitish  beneath.  Flowers  nodding. 


Trees  161 

White  and  pink.  June;  6  inches  to  2  feet.  Very  variable.  In 
terminant  umbels.  Peaty  or  sandy  soil,  with  rhododendrons  and 
azaleas.  See  also  FETTER  BUSH. 

SAVIN  (Juniperus  Sabina).  A  prostrate  shrub,  with  long,  stiff,  straggling 
dark  green  branches,  but  free  method  of  growth.  3  to  5  feet. 

SPRUCE,  BLUE  (Picea  pungens,  var.  glauca).  The  best-coloured  coni- 
ferous evergreen.  Beautiful  steel-blue.  Most  imposing  in  early 
summer.  Slow  grower,  attaining  75  feet.  Hardy,  but  compara- 
tively short-lived,  the  base  becoming  ragged  at  35  years.  Many 
forms  of  this  in  the  trade.  The  highest  coloured  of  all  is  known  as 

Koster's.  Also  drooping  and  weeping  forms.  ,  DOUGLAS 

(Pseudotsuga  Douglasii.)  Rapid  grower,  almost  too  fast  for 
garden  growth.  200  feet.  Colorado  trees  are  hardier  than  those 
from  California.  Transplants  readily.  Rich  dark  green  foliage 

with  faint  blue  sheen  beneath.  ,  ENGELMANN'S  (Picea  Engel- 

manni).  Somewhat  resembling  the  blue  spruce  in  tone  of  colour 
but  less  brilliant.  Needles  not  so  long  but  softer  and  flexible. 

Perfectly  hardy.  80  to  100  feet.  ,  NORWAY  (P.  ex  eels  a). 

The  fastest  growing  conifer.  100  feet.  Also  one  of  the  hardiest 
and  withstanding  strong  winds.  Sombre,  dark  green.  Does  best 
in  moderately  rich  soil  with  good  feeding.  Otherwise  loses  its 
beauty  early,  before  the  white  pine.  Graceful  branches,  drooping. 
Needs  ample  space  for  full  development  of  individual  character. 

Branches  to  the  ground,  making  a  perfect  cone.  ,  ORIENTAL 

(P.  orientalis).  Most  refined  of  all  spruces.  Ascending  branches 
with  pendulous  branchlets.  Rich,  dark  foliage.  Makes  a  beautiful 
lawn  specimen  when  old  enough  to  bear  cones.  The  staminate 
flowers  a  brilliant  carmine,  standing  erect  like  candles  on  a  Christ- 
mas tree.  Slow  growing  and,  though  discoloured  by  spring  frosts, 

is  hardy.  ,  WHITE  (P.  alba).  The  hardiest  native  spruce, 

and  ranking  next  to  the  white  pine  in  rapidity  of  growth.  Usually 
70  feet,  but  occasionally  150  feet.  Light  glaucous  green  foliage. 
Dense  tree,  regular  conical  shape.  Excellent  windbreak.  Will 
grow  right  down  to  the  water's  edge. 

SPURGE,  MOUNTAIN  (Pachysandra  terminalis).  Excellent  cover  plant 
thriving  in  the  sun  or  shade  in  any  ordinary  soil,  making  a  carpet 
about  6  inches  thick.  Flowers  white,  followed  by  white  berries  in 
winter.  Leaves  lightish  green  and  thick. 


162 


The  American  Flower  Garden 


THORN,  EVERGREEN  (Pyracantha  coccined).  Spring  shrub  with  roundish, 
glossy,  deep-green  leaves  becoming  bronze  in  winter.  Umbels  of 
white  flowers  in  May,  followed  by  clusters  of  very  brilliant  orange 
fruits  in  fall  and  winter,  which  are  much  sought  by  birds.  6  feet. 
Var.  Lalandi  is  more  vigorous,  with  slender  branches,  and  hardier; 
suitable  for  covering  walls,  and  probably  is  the  more  commonly 
grown. 

YEW,  CANADIAN  (Taxus  Canadensis).  Creeping  undergrowth  shrub 
with  pretty  red  berries.  Extremely  hardy.  Invaluable  for  car- 
peting in  the  colder  regions.  Easily  transplanted  when  young  and 

may  be  raised  from  seed.  ,  JAPANESE  (T.  cuspidata).  The 

best  substitute  for  the  English  yew,  15  feet  high,  21  feet  wide.  Per- 
fectly hardy,  where  as  the  English  (T.  baccata)  is  too  delicate,  needing 

winter  protection.  ,  DWARF  JAPAN  (T.  cuspid 'at a,  var.  brevi- 

folia).  3  feet  high  with  spread  of  several  feet,  is  a  reliable  dwarf. 
Foliage  dark  green. 


SHRUBS 


"  That  is  best  which  lieth  nearest; 
Shape  from  that  thy  work  oj  art."  —  LONGFELLOW. 

"It  has  been  the  office  oj  art  to  educate  the  perception  oj  beauty.     We  are 
immersed  in  beauty  but  our  eyes  have  no  clear  vision."  —  EMERSON. 


CHAPTER    X 

SHRUBS 

TREES  grow  above  the  height  of  one's  eyes;  flowering 
plants  below  it;  but  shrubs  that  are  on  the  eye  level, 
like  well-hung  pictures,  occupy  the  most  important  space 
in  the  garden  gallery.  Do  they  justify  so  conspicuous  a  position  ? 
Evidently,  for  their  popularity  steadily  increases,  a  thousand  being 
sold  in  the  United  States  this  year  for  every  one  that  was 
bought  a  generation  ago;  but  then,  it  should  be  considered 
that  our  interest  in  all  kinds  of  planting  has  increased  by 
leaps  and  bounds.  Many  old  estates  that  have  a  fine  growth 
of  trees  lack  shrubbery  that  indicates  any  appreciation  of  its 
pictorial  value  in  landscape  gardening.  Lilacs,  mock  orange, 
strawberry  shrub  and  the  spicy  flowering  currant  were  usually 
grown  near  the  house  for  their  fragrance  and  not  for  their  value 
in  the  landscape  composition. 

The  present  generation  is  using  a  great  variety  of  shrubs  and 
for  many  purposes.  People  who  live  on  small  suburban  places, 
where  there  is  room  for  only  a  few  trees,  find  that  tall  shrubs  planted 
as  a  boundary  belt  make  an  effectual  screen  from  the  eyes  of  the 
passers-by;  and  even  on  large  estates  an  undergrowth  of  shrubbery 
for  the  boundary  trees  is  usually  planted  where  low-branched  ever- 
greens are  not  used.  Whoever  has  walked  through  woods  from 
which  all  the  natural  undergrowth  has  been  cleared  away  by  an 
over-tidy  owner  realises  that  they  have  lost  half  their  charm. 
Shrubs  are  the  natural  complement  of  trees,  filling  in  the  gap 
between  their  branches  and  the  ground.  Almost  every  important 

165 


1 66  The  American  Flower  Garden 

group  of  them  is  improved  by  more  or  less  shrubbery  about  its  base. 
Artists  talk  much  about  the  sky  line  of  pictures,  but  the  artistic 
gardener,  realising  that  the  earth  line  is  at  least  as  important, 
diversifies  and  adorns  it  with  blossoming  shrubs  wherever  he  can, 
learning  from  nature  how  to  plant.  Her  woodland  borders,"  which 
draw  the  eye  gradually  from  the  earth  to  where  the  tall  tree-tops 
seem  to  rest  against  the  sky,  are  fringed  with  viburnums,  cornels, 
alder,  chokeberry,  shad  bush,  elder,  sumac,  wild  roses  and  a  host 
of  other  shrubs  that  not  only  fill  the  intermediate  spaces  but  supply 
the  intermediate  tones  in  her  colour  scale.  What  beauty  springs 
up  along  the  old  fence  rows  where  nature  is  left  free  to  plant  them 
as  she  will! 

Shrubs  grow  so  readily  that  they  are  the  main  dependence  for 
quick  results.  It  would  take  years  for  trees  unaided  by  them  to 
make  a  new  place  homelike.  No  one  cares  to  wait  half  a  lifetime 
to  screen  his  grounds,  shut  off  the  service  end  of  his  house  and 
conceal  the  drying  ground  and  outbuildings,  when  a  hundred  hardy 
blossoming  shrubs,  that  are  good  enough  for  mass  planting  and 
that  can  be  bought  for  twenty  dollars,  will  quickly  hide  unsightly 
places.  While  it  never  pays  to  buy  inferior  stock,  however  low 
in  price,  many  a  lovely  shrub  is  so  easily  propagated  that  it  can  be 
sold  at  a  profit  for  the  price  of  a  cigar.  For  a  single  choice 
specimen,  however,  one  that  merits  isolation  to  display  its  charms, 
who  would  grudge  a  dollar  ?  Where  only  a  small  sum  can  be  spent 
for  planting  a  place,  the  list  will  surely  include  a  preponderance 
of  shrubs,  because  with  them  greater  diversity  of  form,  colour  and 
texture,  more  lasting  beauty  and  abundance  of  bloom  may  be  had 
at  a  low  cost  than  from  plants  of  any  other  class. 

Trees  cannot  well  be  planted  next  a  house  without  robbing  it 
of  light  and  air,  but  tall  shrubs  as  a  background  for  lower  ones 


Shrubs  167 

grouped  around  them  take  off  the  sharpness  from  corners,  and  let 
sunshine  stream  in  at  the  windows.  Banked  in  front  of  foundation 
walls,  they  relieve  the  hardness  of  the  line  where  house  and  land 
meet.  The  home  seems  to  nestle  cosily  in  a  nest  of  green  instead 
of  springing  suddenly  from  the  lawn  like  a  Jack  from  a  box.  For 
filling  in  the  angles  of  a  house  and  the  corners  between  its  steps 
and  side  walls,  for  extending  architectural  lines  that  end 
too  abruptly,  for  helping  to  conceal  faulty  design,  for  softening 
hard,  uncompromising  masonry  such  as  high  retaining  walls 
and  buttresses,  for  making  entrances  inviting  and  taking  the 
curse  off  wire  fences  and  red  brick  enclosing  walls,  what  should 
we  do  without  shrubs  ? 

Technically,  the  difference  between  a  tree  and  a  shrub  is  a 
matter  of  one  stem  or  many  stems  from  the  root,  but  some  species 
there  are  that  do  very  much  as  they  please,  to  the  confusion  of 
classifiers.  The  shad  bush,  the  dogwood,  the  starry  magnolia  and 
the  laburnum,  for  example,  may  be  either  bushes  or  trees.  Much 
top-shearing  of  the  boxwood  may  cause  several  stems  to  spring  from 
the  root  around  its  central  trunk,  thus  changing  it  by  the  mere  act 
of  pruning  from  a  tree  to  a  shrub.  Because  some  shrubs  that  are 
top-pruned  make  dense  growth  at  the  bottom,  they  are  especially 
desirable  for  hedges.  Such  is  the  over-planted  but  indispensable 
privet  which,  if  left  to  its  own  devices,  becomes  tall  and  leggy. 
Sheared  of  its  new  growth,  on  which  ill-scented  blossoms  would 
form  in  a  natural  state,  it  devotes  all  its  splendid  energies  to  making 
stems  and  foliage  near  the  ground  until  a  green  wall,  apparently 
solid,  is  formed  by  a  hedge  of  it. 

For  most  purposes  there  is  a  bewildering  array  of  shrubs  to 
choose  from,  but  what  should  we  do  for  formal  hedges  without  the 
ubiquitous  privet  and  box  ?  Yet  the  last  place  to  find  monotony 


1 68  The  American  Flower  Garden 

should  be  in  a  garden.  High  hopes  of  the  Japanese  ilex  filling  a 
long-felt  want  are  entertained,  but  it  has  not  yet  been  fully  tested  by 
time,  and  it  is  still  expensive.  Italian  and  English  gardens  owe 
much  of  their  beauty  to  an  ilex  that  will  not  live  here,  to  several 
species  of  laurel  that  we  cannot  have,  and  to  other  evergreen 
shrubs  of  which,  unhappily,  we  have  no  counterparts.  It  is  true 
that  the  hemlock  and  some  other  of  our  evergreen  trees  make 
beautiful  hedges,  but  the  evergreen  shrubs  that  thrive  on  this  side 
of  the  sea  are  lamentably  few,  and  not  all  of  these  will  endure  the 
pruning  shears.  For  informal  evergreen  hedges,  however,  nothing 
could  be  finer  than  rhododendron  or  laurel.  Among  bushes  that 
lose  their  leaves  in  winter,  but  compensate  us  with  a  prodigal  wealth 
of  spring  or  summer  bloom,  are  the  spireas,  deutzias,  lilacs,  altheas, 
rugosa  roses,  Japanese  quinces,  weigelas,  and  some  others,  any 
one  of  which  is  effective  used  for  an  informal,  undipped  hedge  not 
required  for  defence.  The  barberries,  north  of  Philadelphia,  and 
the  hardy  thorny  orange  south  of  it  make  good  defensive  hedges. 
Mixed  hedges  rarely,  if  ever,  satisfy  the  artistic  eye.  If  hedges  of 
any  and  every  sort  ever  come  to  be  as  commonly  used  here  as  they 
are  in  England,  we  may  make  kindling  of  the  fences  that  now 
disfigure  our  land  and  sing  paeons  of  joy  for  the  deliverance. 
How  did  it  happen  that  a  people,  with  all  their  gardening  and 
other  traditions  derived  from  the  Old  World,  could  have  so  far 
departed  from  them  as  to  substitute  the  wooden  and  wire  fences 
for  the  green,  impenetrable,  permanent  hedge  that  requires  little 
mending  and  no  paint  ? 

As  it  is  actually  cheaper,  oftentimes,  to  plant  a  bank  with 
shrubbery  than  to  grade  and  sod  it,  a  concavity  on  a  steep  side  hill 
will  sometimes  be  filled  in  with  prostrate  privet  (Ligustrum  Ibota 
var.  Regelianuni)  or  other  shrubbery  that  will  bind  the  soil  and 


Shrubs  169 

prevent  it  from  slipping  and  washing.  Many  a  house  set  on  a 
narrow  ridge  of  hill-top  would  appear  to  be  less  in  danger  of  falling 
off  the  edge  if  the  slopes  around  it  were  broadened  by  shrubs. 
How  narrow  and  sharp  would  the  cones  of  many  mountains  appear 
were  it  not  for  the  trees  that  pad  their  sides! 

The  kinds  of  shrubs  to  plant  anywhere  will  necessarily  depend 
upon  the  peculiar  conditions  of  each  place,  the  climate,  the  soil, 
the  situation  and  the  personal  preference  of  the  owner  governing 
the  selection  of  them,  it  might  go  without  saying.  However  one 
may  admire  camellias,  hibiscus  and  oleanders  in  Southern  and 
Californian  gardens,  one  may  not  hope  to  grow  them  except  under 
glass  at  the  North.  A  stiff  clay  soil  would  prove  a  cemetery  for 
any  of  the  fine,  fibrous-rooted  heath  tribe;  therefore  azaleas  and 
laurel  must  be  stricken  from  the  list  unless  one  is  able  to  prepare 
for  them  the  light  loam,  made  cool  and  mellow  with  humus,  that  is 
their  necessity.  A  bleak,  windy  side  of  a  house  one  need  not 
expect  to  beautify  permanently  with  the  holly-leaved  Mahonia. 
Books  and  the  carefully  prepared  catalogues  of  high-class  nurseries 
may  help  the  novice  in  deciding  what  to  plant,  but  if  he  cannot 
afford  to  employ  an  expert  landscape  gardener  to  direct  his  choice, 
he  is  likely  to  learn  far  more  from  studying  what  nature  uses  most 
effectively  in  her  garden  that  lies  about  him.  Let  him  select  the 
shrubs  native  to  his  region  as  a  basis  for  other  planting,  not  only 
because  they  are  most  likely  to  thrive,  but  because  they,  like  the 
indigenous  trees,  will  prevent  his  place  from  looking  like  an  island 
in  the  landscape,  wholly  unrelated  to  its  natural  environment. 
Unless  one's  time  is  worth  nothing,  it  is  actually  cheaper  to  buy 
the  native  stock,  improved  and  strengthened  by  cultivation 
in  a  nursery,  rather  than  to  dig  it  oneself  from  the  woods.  A 
shrub  from  Japan  may  easily  cost  you  less  than  one  from  a 


1 70  The  American  Flower  Garden 

neighbour's  thicket.  Every  town  in  America  needs  a  well 
planted  public  park,  if  only  to  serve  as  an  object  lesson  in  beauti- 
fying the  home  grounds  of  its  citizens.  It  could  be  the  best  of 
teachers,  but  how  rarely  one  is! 

For  Canada,  New  England  and  the  Central  states,  East  and 
West,  the  main  body  of  shrubs  chosen  will  not  be  wild  cornels, 
viburnums,  spice  bush,  elder,  laurel,  azalea,  sumac,  alder,  witch 
hazel,  button  bush,  clethra,  white  thorn,  or  whatever  grows 
naturally  round  about  one's  county,  for  the  sufficient  reason  that 
there  are  not  enough  species  in  any  given  locality  to  fit  every  place 
and  purpose  on  the  cultivated  grounds  about  one's  home.  After 
exhausting  their  possibilities,  reliance  must  be  placed  on  the  trusty, 
time-tried  favourites  that  need  no  coddling,  such  as  the  lilacs  - 
and  is  any  bush  more  beautiful  than  the  old-fashioned,  fleecy- 
plumed  white  lilac  ?  —  the  heavily  scented  mock-orange  (Philadel- 
phus) ;  the  floriferous  spireas  (except  Anthony  Waterer's  magenta 
nerve  shocker);  the  lovely  deutzias;  the  Tartarian  and  other  bush 
honeysuckles;  the  healthy,  fluted-leaved  Japanese  snowball  (not 
the  old-fashioned  bush,  ever  sickly  from  aphides)  and  those  other 
members  of  the  viburnum  tribe  that  are  doubly  decorative  in  flower 
and  fruit;  the  Japanese  quinces  shading  from  flame  to  peachblow; 
the  low-spreading  Japanese  barberry  whose  exquisite  drooping, 
thorny  stems  are  laden  in  winter  with  bright  red  berries,  making 
it  a  joy  to  the  eye  the  year  around;  the  weigelas,  the  best  and  worst 
shrubs  we  have,  for  the  deep  purplish  pinks  of  some  of  them  are  as 
awful  as  those  of  the  rose  of  Sharon  (Althaea),  whose  single  white, 
shell-pink,  hibiscus-flowered  and  lavender-blue  blossoms  are  never- 
theless delightful;  the  forsythia's  burst  of  earliest  spring  sunshine, 
the  snowberry  and  the  white  or  pink  Japanese  roses  (R.  rugosa), 
but  pray  not  the  magenta  ones! 


Shrubs  171 

However  reliable  all  these  may  be  as  general  purpose  shrubs, 
others  will  be  wanted  for  special  purposes.  First  of  these  in  public 
estimation  is  the  large  white-flowered  hydrangea  (H.  grandiflora, 
var.  paniculata),  planted  by  every  one  who  owns  a  twenty-foot  lot. 
Severely  pruned,  well  enriched,  and  copiously  watered  at  flowering 
time,  it  furnishes  great  drooping  heads  of  snowy  bloom  in  late 
summer,  when  it  has  the  shrubbery  stage  to  itself.  How  may 
so  conspicuous  a  shrub  be  artistically  used  in  a  landscape  garden  ? 
Certainly  the  way  not  to  plant  it  or  any  other  startling  bush  is  to  dot 
it  around  a  lawn  —  the  usual  practice.  A  good  rule  to  follow  is 
to  plant  nothing  anywhere  that  is  not  connected  with  the  con- 
struction lines  of  a  place.  A  lot  of  unrelated  details,  however 
beautiful  in  themselves,  are  always  bad  art  out  of  doors.  The 
great  hydrangea,  massed  with  a  not  far  distant  background  of 
evergreens  or  other  low-branched  trees,  or  where  its  drooping 
panicles  may  hang  in  the  foreground  of  heavy  shrubbery,  gains 
rather  than  loses  by  its  position.  A  purple,  golden  or  variegated- 
leaved  shrub,  if  isolated  on  a  fair  green  lawn,  detached  from  all 
connection  with  the  composition  lines  of  planting,  is  all  the  more 
a  distracting  sight  because  so  common.  Such  special  purpose 
shrubs  fulfill  a  distinct  destiny  in  enlivening  masses  of  shrubbery 
which,  without  them,  might  easily  be  monotonous.  They  add 
emphasis,  richness  and  variety  of  tone.  Colour  may  be  the  chief 
charm  or  the  greatest  offence  to  the  eye,  so  wherever  applied  it 
must  be  used  as  sparingly  and  artistically  as  in  a  living-room.  In 
the  garden,  especially,  it  is  apt  to  be  overdone.  The  dwarf  horse 
chestnut,  that  sends  up  great  spires  of  fleecy  white  flowers  above 
masses  of  healthy  foliage  in  July,  after  the  pyrotechnic  display  from 
the  spring  shrubs  has  ended  and  before  the  hydrangea,  the  blue 
spirea  and  the  altheas  begin  to  bloom,  serves  the  special  purpose  of 


172  The  American  Flower  Garden 

filling  in  a  gap.  For  massing  in  the  foreground  of  groups  of  shrub- 
bery its  rather  coarse  habit  makes  it  strongly  decorative  when 
viewed  from  a  distance.  The  forsythia,  whose  growth  in  summer 
is  rather  loose  and  straggling,  needs  the  support  of  its  fellows  to 
be  effective.  So  does  the  red-stemmed  dogwood  bush,  glowing 
above  the  snow.  Most  shrubs  require  special  consideration  for 
the  best  display  of  their  charms. 

The  ungrammatical  advice,  "Plant  thick,  thin  quick,"  it  is 
sometimes  well  to  follow.  If  allowed  to  crowd  one  another,  shrubs 
lose  their  individuality,  their  identity  becomes  lost  in  the  mass, 
they  starve  and  deteriorate.  There  may  be  sometimes  a  doubt 
as  to  which  should  have  preference,  the  artistic  or  the  cultural 
treatment  of  shrubbery,  but  in  all,  except  very  rare  cases,  neither 
need  conflict  with  the  other.  It  is  not  necessary  to  sprinkle  shrubs 
about  a  place,  one  specimen  here,  another  there,  in  order  to  give 
each  all  the  room  it  really  needs  to  display  its  charms.  Its  individu- 
ality can  be  respected,  whether  in  the  shrubbery  border  or  in  an 
isolated  position  of  honour;  but  no  shrub,  however  beautiful  in 
itself,  should  be  so  planted  as  to  spoil  the  garden  picture  as  a  whole. 
In  mass  planting  the  danger  is  lest  the  shrubs  become  so  crowded 
that  the  characteristics  and  charm  of  each  are  lost,  for  the  sake 
of  the  general  effect.  In  specimen  planting  the  greater  danger  is 
lest  a  number  of  unrelated  spots  will  spoil  the  unity  of  the  design 
of  the  place  as  a  whole.  The  novice  will  have  no  little  difficulty 
in  steering  his  course  between  Scylla  and  Charybdis. 

Since  the  value  of  a  shrub  may  easily  lie  less  in  its  bloom  than 
in  its  general  character  of  form  and  habit  —  its  personality  —  care 
must  be  taken  not  to  shear  it  away.  Bushes  are  usually  headed 
back  when  they  are  received  from  the  nursery,  or  if  they  grow  too 
tall  and  spindling,  but  the  reprehensible  habit  of  trimming  off  all 


Shrubs  173 

shrubs  every  winter  until  they  are  as  flat-topped  as  a  hedge  is  so 
common  a  fault  of  gardeners  that  special  caution  needs  to  be  spoken 
as  often  as  the  pruning  season  comes  around.  And  when  is  that  ? 
Shrubs  that  set  buds  in  the  fall  should  be  trimmed  immediately 
after  flowering,  or,  better  still,  while  they  are  in  bloom,  as  a  justi- 
fication for  robbing  them  of  the  long  sprays  that  so  adorn  a  house. 
If  for  no  other  purpose,  one  wishes  an  abundance  of  shrubs  to  supply 
the  home  with  its  most  decorative  cut  flowers.  A  jar  filled  with 
forsythia  sprays,  although  set  in  a  north  room,  brightens  it  like 
sunshine.  Vases  of  bridal  wreath  and  long  whips  of  blossoming 
almond  give  an  air  of  festivity  to  a  simple  living-room  that  no 
florist's  bouquet  can  out-do.  Happily  florists  themselves  are 
recognising  the  decorative  value  of  shrubs  and  now  offer  in  mid- 
winter branches  of  lilacs  that  have  been  forced  to  bloom  with  ether, 
azaleas,  spireas,  snowballs,  pussy  willows  and  other  darlings  of  the 
spring.  Shrubs  that  bloom  on  the  new  wood  made  in  spring  or 
summer  —  the  hardy  hydrangea,  for  example  —  should  be  pruned 
in  winter.  One  keen  gardener,  who  is  a  law  unto  herself,  does  all 
pruning  between  December  and  March,  for  the  reason  that  her 
bushes,  which  are  benefited  by  the  surgery,  supply  her  at  that  lean 
season  with  flowers  for  the  house  and  table.  The  best  of  the 
cuttings  she  places  in  pails  of  water  in  the  sunny  windows  of  an 
unused  upper  room,  and  carries  downstairs  triumphantly  from 
time  to  time  sprigs  of  forsythia,  yellow  jasmine,  bush  honeysuckle, 
the  starry  magnolia  and  cherry  blossoms,  which  most  quickly 
repay  her,  apple,  peach  and  quince  blossoms,  deutzia,  dogwood, 
almond  and  scarlet  maple. 

Whoever  spends  the  winter  in  the  country  will  choose  many 
shrubs  besides  the  barberry,  cotoneaster,  snowberry,  dogwood, 
bush  cranberry  and  euonymus,  if  only  for  the  bright  cheer  of  their 


174  The  American  Flower  Garden 

fruit.  And  because  the  broad-leaved  evergreens,  the  majestic 
rhododendron  and  the  lovely  laurel  delight  one  after  every  other 
shrub  is  bare,  their  popularity  steadily  increases.  People  with 
deep  purses  buy  them  by  the  freight  car  load  to  mass  along  drives, 
under  trees  where  other  shrubs  would  be  unhappy,  around  ponds 
and  along  brooks.  Drying  out  of  their  fine  fibrous  roots  is  as  fatal  to 
them  as  to  the  azaleas,  their  cousins.  Where  water  cannot  prevent 
the  catastrophe,  much  leaf-mould  mixed  with  the  peaty  soil  they  are 
planted  in  helps  avert  it,  but  a  mulch  of  leaves  or  grass  cuttings 
from  the  lawn  over  their  roots  keep  them  cool  and  moist  in 
summer  when  there  is  most  danger  of  their  drying  out,  and  from 
the  alternate  freezing  and  thawing  in  winter  or  very  early  spring 
from  which  so  many  evergreens  perish. 

Nature  covers  her  plants  with  a  light  mulch  every  autumn  as 
the  leaves  fall,  and  the  Japanese  learned  from  her  long  ago  the 
warmth  of  many  layers  of  light  material,  which  ward  off  scorching 
heat  as  well  as  cold.  In  burning  piles  of  leaves,  as  many  do,  we 
rob  our  gardens  of  their  warmest  blankets  and  the  compost  heap 
of  a  contribution  for  which  the  costly  laurel,  rhododendron  and 
azalea  often  pine  to  death.  Our  home  grounds  are  apt  to  be 
fatally  tidy.  We  don't  realise  that  for  the  lack  of  a  mulch,  in  sum- 
mer as  well  as  in  winter,  more  fibrous-rooted  and  newly  transplanted 
stock  dies  than  from  perhaps  any  other  cause.  Indeed,  it  is  almost 
hopeless  to  bring  to  perfection  any  of  the  heath  tribe  without 
mulching.  Among  them  are  the  costly  and  lovely  azaleas,  with  a 
range  of  colour  from  purest  white  and  pink  to  buff,  yellow,  salmon, 
orange  and  flame  —  all  the  glory  of  a  sunset  being  included  in  their 
marvellous  tints.  Many  earthly  possessions  seem  paltry  indeed 
when  compared  with  them.  A  walk  along  a  path  bordered  by 
azaleas  is  like  a  stroll  through  a  gallery  where  there  is  a  beautiful 


Shrubs  175 

picture  at  each  step.  The  woman  who  denied  herself  a  new  spring 
hat  for  the  enduring  joy  of  a  clump  of  the  great  rhododendron  under 
her  window  had  the  right  idea. 

DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS  OF  SPECIAL  MERIT 

ACACIA  ROSE  (Robinia  hispid  a).  Rose  colour.  May,  June.  2  to  8  feet, 
Hairy  in  all  parts  except  the  flowers,  which  are  pea-like  in  large 
clusters.  Suckers  freely  from  the  roots  and  may  become  a  nuisance. 
A  valuable  screen.  Useful  on  banks.  Increased  by  division. 

ALMOND,  FLOWERING  (Prunus  Japonica).  Spreading.  The  commonest 
flowering  almond  of  old  gardens.  Flowers  rose  coloured.  May, 
June.  5  feet.  Only  the  double  form  is  in  cultivation.  Good 
garden  soil.  Leaves  smooth;  otherwise  like  flowering  plum. 

ALTHEA.     See  ROSE  OF  SHARON. 

ARROW    WOOD    (Viburnum    dentatuni).     Upright,  but  bushy.     Flower 
cymes  3  inches  across.     May,  June.     15  feet.     White.    Fruit  bluish 
black.     Excellent  for  moist  soil.     Leaves  lobed. 
,LEA,  PINXTER  FLOWER,  ETC.     These  are  among  the  earliest  large- 
flowering  shrubs,  the  majority  blooming  before  the  leaves  appear. 

,  GHENT  (A.  Gandavensis).     The  most  showy  early  flowering 

shrub,  April.     2  to  4  feet.     Largest  orange  and  salmon  coloured 

flowers  of  spring.     ,  JAPAN   (A.   Sinensis  or  mollis).      Flame 

coloured  and  yellow.     Every  shade  like  a  sunset. ,  CAROLINA 

(A.  Vaseyi),  purest  pink,  I J  inches  across.     4  feet.     ,  PINXTER 

FLOWER  (A.  nudiflord).     Pink  veined  with  crimson  lake.    For    wild 

garden.    3  to  5  feet.     ,  WHITE  (A.  viscosa).     2  to  4  feet.     Plant 

near  water.  Also  some  evergreen  species.  All  the  azaleas  demand 
open,  loose  soil,  well  drained.  Preferably  with  humus.  See  also 
RHODORA  and  EVERGREENS,  p.  155. 

BARBERRY,  COMMON  (Berber is  vulgarts).  6  feet.  Bright  scarlet  berries, 
half  inch  long,  last  till  spring.  Var.  atropurpureus  has  dark  plum- 
coloured  foliage,  valuable  as  foil  to  brighter-leaved  plants.  Per- 
fectly hardy.  ,  JAPAN  (B.  Thunbergi).  Best  low  ornamental 

shrubbery  plant.  Dense,  compact  growth,  small  shiny  branches. 
Red  berries  all  winter.  Foliage  is  brilliant  scarlet  in  fall.  Quick 
grower  on  rich  soils,  but  thrives  anywhere.  4  feet.  Invaluable  for 
shrubbery  or  specimens.  Propagate  by  seeds. 


1 76  The  American  Flower  Garden 

BLADDER  NUT  (Staphylea  trifolia).  Greenish  white  flowers  in  nodding 
panicles.  April,  May;  6  to  15  feet.  Sharply  toothed  leaves  slightly 
hairy.  A  strikingly  pretty  shrub  with  three-foliate  leaves.  Any 

soil  and  position,  but  best  in  rich,  moist  loam  partly  shaded.  

(S.  Colchica).  12  feet.  5  leaflets.  Has  more  conspicuous  flowers. 
Pods  of  both  much  inflated  in  summer. 

BLADDER  SENNA  (Colutea  arborescens).  Flowers  yellow.  July  to 
September.  To  15  feet.  Rapid  growing,  free  flowering.  Valuable 
for  lightening  the  shrubbery  with  its  pale  green  foliage.  Large 
inflated  pods  in  late  summer.  Not  quite  hardy  North.  Any  soil, 
with  preference  to  fairly  dry  and  sunny.  Propagate  by  seeds  in 
spring,  mature  wood  cuttings  in  fall. 

BLUE  SPIREA  (Caryopteris  Mastacanthus).  Conical  flower  spikes  with 
lavender-blue  flowers.  August,  September.  The  only  blue-flowered 
shrub  of  late  summer  and  fall.  Extremely  attractive  to  bees;  flour- 
ishes well  along  the  seacoast.  Cut  down  to  the  ground  annually  by 
frost,  but  makes  a  good  growth  and  blooms  every  season.  Blue 
flower  spikes  suggest  a  larkspur. 

BUCKTHORN  (Rhamnus  cathartic  a).  Sturdy  shrub  with  spring  branches. 
Oval  leaves,  flowers  white.  May.  10  feet.  Fruit  a  black  berry, 
large.  Very  hardy.  Garden  soil,  rather  dry.  — ,  ALDER 
(R.  Frangula).  Has  fruit  red,  changing  to  black  in  September. 

12  feet.  Moist  soil.  ,  SEA  (Hippophae  rhamnoides).  Best 

grayish-green  foliage  for  seaside  and  sandy  soils;  used  for  binding. 
Also  grows  well  in  garden  soils.  On  poorest  land  sometimes  as 
low  as  two  feet.  Staminate  plants  more  upright  than  pistillate. 
Berries  orange-yellow.  September;  10  feet,  sometimes  a  tree  20 
feet.  Yellowish  flowers  in  May. 

BUDDLEIA  (Buddleia  Lindleyana).  June,  July;  3  to  6  feet.  Racemes 
of  purplish  violet  flowers  6  inches  long.  Not  quite  hardy  in  the 
North,  but  flowers  on  new  growth  from  the  root.  Worth  growing 
for  its  colour.  Light,  well-drained  soil,  sunny  position.  Propagate 
by  greenwood  cuttings  in  spring,  or  hardwood  cuttings  in  fall  kept 
away  from  frost. 

BUSH  CLOVER  (Lespedeza  Sieloldi).  Small  pea-like  flowers  in  rosy  pink 
clusters  in  September;  up  to  6  or  8  feet,  but  usually  much  smaller 
from  winter-killing.  Hardy  in  central  New  England.  Valuable 
for  its  late  season.  Any  soil.  Propagate  by  division. 


Shrubs  177 

CHASTE  TREE,  MONK'S  PEPPER  TREE  (Vitex  Agnus-castus).  Narrow, 
pinnate  leaves,  grayish  beneath.  Flowers  bluish  lilac.  July, 
September;  varying  height,  generally  6  to  8  feet.  Valuable  for  its 
late  season.  Not  quite  hardy  in  the  North,  where  the  less  showy 
V.  incisa  survives.  Any  rather  dry,  sunny  situation  preferred. 

CHOKEBERRY  (Aronia  arbutifolia).  Flowers  April  to  May;  6  to  12  feet. 
White  or  tinged  red.  Numerous  pear-shaped  berries,  a  quarter  inch 

across,  bright  or  dull  red,  September.  ,  BLACK  (A.  nigra). 

Similar,  but  with  black  berries.  Both  perfectly  hardy  and  among 
the  most  beautiful  fruiting  small  shrubs.  Any  soil. 

CLETHRA.     See  SWEET  PEPPER  BUSH. 

CORAL  BERRY  (Symphoricarpos  vulgaris).  Like  the  snowberry,  but 
having  smaller  and  purplish  or  reddish  berries,  persisting  all  winter. 
5  feet.  Foliage  turns  red  in  autumn.  Native  to  the  Middle  States, 
but  escaped  from  cultivation  in  the  East.  Also  a  variegated  form. 

CORNEL,  BUSH  DOGWOOD  (Cornus  candidissima).  One  of  the  best  white 
blooming  shrubs  of  June,  followed  by  white  berries  on  coral  stems. 

Any  soil.  ,  SILKY  (C.  Amomuni).  Dark  green  leaves,  whitish 

beneath.  White  flowers  in  June;  3  to  10  feet.  Particularly  valuable 
for  its  blue  and  bluish  white  fruit  persisting  in  winter.  Vigorous 
growing.  Moist  or  dry  soils.  The  cornels  and  dogwoods  are  among 
the  most  valuable  of  all  shrubs,  because  of  their  many-coloured  fruits 
for  late  summer  and  fall  effects,  and  bright-coloured  barks  in  winter, 
growing  well  in  shade  or  exposed  and  in  any  soil.  Flowers  white  in 
the  species  named  here.  Propagate  from  mature  wood  cuttings  or 
seeds. 

CORNELIAN  CHERRY  (Cornus  Mas).  Flowers  yellow  before  the  leaves. 
March  to  April  in  umbels;  20  feet,  sometimes  a  small  tree.  Oblong, 
edible  fruit,  f  inch  long,  bright  scarlet.  A  very  valuable  larger 
shrub,  attractive  both  spring  and  fall.  Propagate  like  other  cornus 
and  cornel. 

CRANBERRY,  HIGH  BUSH.     See  SNOWBALL. 

CURRANT,  FLOWERING  (Riles  aureuni).  Flowers  yellow,  spicy  fragrant. 
A  favourite  in  old  gardens.  May;  4  feet.  Bright  green  foliage, 
adapted  to  any  good  soil.  Very  effective  among  dark  foliaged  plants. 

DAPHNE  (Daphne  Mezereum).  April;  3  feet.  Reddish  lilac,  fragrant. 
Thick  clusters  of  red  berries  in  the  summer.  The  earliest  warm- 


178  The  American  Flower  Garden 

coloured  shrub  that  flowers  before  the  leaves.       (D.  Gwenka). 

3  feet.  The  best  lavender  and  nearest  approach  to  blue  among  the 
shrubs  flowering  before  the  leaves.  Not  hardy  North.  Well-drained 
light  soil,  with  partial  shade  for  both  kinds.  Propagate  by  seeds, 
which  germinate  slowly,  or  layers  in  the  spring.  See  also  GARLAND 
FLOWER. 

DEUTZIA  (D.  Lemoinei).  June;  3  feet.  A  new  hybrid  with  larger 
flowers  than  the  popular  Pride  of  Rochester,  which  is  taller  growing 
and  has  the  handsomest  habit;  double  flowers,  but  pink.  — 
(D.  gracilis).  Slightly  arching  branches  making  a  low-spreading 
bush;  flowers  single,  white.  May.  All  are  hardy  and  thrive  in  any 
well-drained  soil,  and  are  among  the  best  of  the  white-flowered  shrubs. 
Propagate  easily  by  greenwood  and  hardwood  cuttings,  also  by  seeds 
in  spring. 

DOCKMACKIE  (Viburnum  aceri folium).  Slender,  upright  branches. 
Flowers  yellowish  white.  May,  June;  5  feet.  3  inches  across. 
Fruit  black.  Foliage  pinkish  in  autumn,  becoming  dark  purple. 
Thrives  in  dryish  soils  under  trees.  Very  valuable  shrub.  Prop- 
agate by  seeds. 

DOGWOOD,  RED  TWIGGED  (Cornus  stolonifera).  Best  red-barked  shrub  , 
for  winter  effects.  Better  than  the  European  Red  Osier  dogwood  i 
(C.  sanguined)  with  purple  or  dark  blood-red  branches.  For  best  \ 

effect,  cut  back  every  two  or  three  years  to  induce  new  growth.      , 

ROUND  LEAVED  (C.  circinata).     Purplish  branches,  fruits  light  blue   ; 
and  greenish  white.     (See  also  CORNEL.) 

ELDER,  COMMON  (Sambucus  nigra).     Useful  for  pond  borders  and  wild 

gardening.     ,  GOLDEN  (S.  nigra,  var.  aurea).     12  feet.     The 

largest-leaved  yellow  shrub,  especially  for  wet  soils.  Makes  growth 
annually  10  feet.  For  lightening  dense  masses  of  green  shrubbery. 
Better  coloured  if  cut  back  frequently.  Grows  well  in  the  shade. 

ELEAGNUS.     See  GOUMI. 

FRINGE  TREE  (Chionanthus  Virginica).  White.  June;  sometimes  a 
slender  tree  to  30  feet;  usually  a  large  shrub.  Slender  thread-like 
flowers  in  June,  after  most  other  trees  have  flowered.  Pretty  blue 
berries  all  winter.  Prefers  a  moist  soil  and  must  be  sheltered  in 
latitude  of  New  England.  Propagate  by  seeds  in  fall,  also  layers. 

GOLDEN  BELL  (Forsythia  suspensa).  Long,  gracefully  drooping  branches 
of  yellow  flowers  before  the  leaves.  6  feet.  The  most  showy  early 


Shrubs  179 

flowering  shrub  of  its  colour.  Good  for  foreground  of  shrubbery 

borders  and  on  banks.  (/*\  viridissima).  Somewhat  similar, 

with  more  flowers,  but  rather  greenish  colour  and  smaller,  but  holds 
its  foliage  later  in  the  fall.  Plant  against  dark  background.  Any 
garden  soil.  Propagate  by  cuttings  any  time,  or  seeds. 

GOUMI  (Eleagnus  longipes).  Whole  plant  covered  with  silvery  scales. 
Reddish  brown  branchlets.  Flowers  yellowish  white,  inconspicuous 
but  fragrant.  April,  May;  6  feet.  Very  showy  scarlet  fruit  f  inch 
long  on  long  stalks  and  covered  with  scales.  Acid;  edible.  (For  soil 
and  progagation  see  OLEASTER.) 

GROUNDSEL  BUSH  (Baccharis  halimifolia).  3  to  12  feet.  Flowers 
in  large  panicles;  dense,  coarsely  toothed  foliage  one  to  two  inches 
long.  One  of  the  best  seashore  plants.  Most  effective  in  late 
summer  when  the  silvery  silken  pappus  on  pistillate  shrubs  only  is 
very  conspicuous.  Grows  in  any  well-drained  soil  in  sunny  position. 
Propagate  seeds  or  cuttings  under  glass. 

HONEYSUCKLE,  FRAGRANT  (Lonicera  fragrantissima).  Creamy  white. 
March  to  May;  8  feet.  Foliage  half  evergreen.  Most  fragrant  of 

the  very  early  shrubs.  ,  JAPAN  BUSH  (L.  Morrowi).  White, 

changing  to  yellow.  May,  June;  6  feet.  Bright  red,  sometimes 

yellow,  fruits  August  till  late  fall.  ,  MANCHURIAN  (L.  Ruprech- 

tiana).  White,  changing  to  yellow;  8  to  12  feet.  ,  TARTARIAN 

(L.  T atari c a).  May;  8  to  10  feet.  Not  changing  to  yellow.  Most 
fragrant  of  all  the  early  summer  shrubs,  especially  at  dusk.  Flowers 
pink;  several  varieties  red  or  white.  Plant  in  shrubbery  where  its 
presence  is  made  known  by  the  odour.  Valuable  as  a  low  screen  on 
seaside.  Fruit  red  or  orange.  Propagate  seeds  in  fall  or  ripe 
cuttings.  Any  good  garden  soil  wTith  sun.  Prune  in  winter. 

HORSE  CHESTNUT,  DWARF  (JEsculus  macrostachya).  Flowers  like  a 
diminutive  slender  horse  chestnut.  July,  August;  4  to  20  feet. 
One  of  the  handsomest  for  distant  lawn  clumps;  flowers  being 
borne  erect  on  the  top  of  the  dome-like  mass  of  foliage.  Moist, 
loamy  soil.  Can  be  increased  by  root  cuttings,  layers,  seeds. 

HYDRANGEA  (H.  paniculata,  var.  grandiflora).  September;  8  feet  as 
generally  grown.  Immense  conical  flower  heads  of  white  bracts 
lasting  into  winter  and  becoming  pink,  then  greenish,  but  white 
all  through  September.  Most  conspicuous  white  shrub  in  the  fall 
for  shrubbery  hedge  and  lawn.  Prune  severely  in  winter  for  quantity 


The  American  Flower  Garden 

of  flower;  less  so  for  larger  trusses.     Give  rich  soil  and  feed  well. 
Propagate  summer  cuttings.     The  type  or  species  sometimes  attains 

30  feet.     More  feathery,  lighter  heads  of  flower.       ,WiLD  (H.  ar- 

borescens).     Flat  flower  head.     Creamy  white.     June,  July;  8  feet. 

Sterile  form  is  Hills  of  Snow. ,  HORTENSIA  (H.  hortensis).     8 

feet.  Flowers  in  large  cymes  without  bracts.  White,  bluish,  or  pink. 
Few,  or  all,  sterile.  The  greenhouse  hydrangea;  also  for  planting  out 
in  favoured  situations.  Will  not  usually  stand  much  frost.  An  enor- 
mous number  of  varieties  of  this  are  offered  in  the  trade,  (a)  JAPON- 
ICA Group:  Cymes  flat,  sterile  and  fertile.  (6)  HORTENSIA  Group: 
Cymes  globose.  Practically  sterile;  includes  variety  Thomas  Hogg, 
the  hardiest  and  best  for  outdoors.  (V)  STELLATA  Group:  Flowers 
with  narrow  sepals.  The  blue  colour  of  the  flowers  in  these  groups 
depends  upon  soil  conditions,  and  may  usually  be  induced  in  the 
following  year  by  watering  with  a  solution  of  alum  (one  ounce  to 
three  gallons)  all  the  preceding  summer  while  growth  is  being  made. 
INDIGO,  BASTARD  (Amorpha  fruticosa).  Fine  feathery  foliage  and 
spreading  habit.  5  to  20  feet.  Dark  violet-purple  flowers  in  racemes 

3  to  6  inches  long.     Adapted  to  small  shrubberies,  dry  sunny  situa- 
tions.    Propagate  by  hardwood  cuttings;   also  layers,  suckers. 

JAPAN  QUINCE  (Cydonia  Japonica).  May;  8  feet.  Earliest,  bright 
scarlet-flowered  shrub.  Useful  also  as  a  hedge.  Plant  as  specimen. 
Slow  growing.  Subject  to  San  Jose  scale.  Don't  plant  near  deco- 
rative fruit  trees  or  orchards  unless  systematically  sprayed.  Stands 
close  pruning.  Pink,  salmon-pink,  dark  red,  and  white  varieties. 

KERRIA  (Kerria  Japonica).  Flowers  yellow,  like  single  roses.  May, 
June;  4  feet.  Best  graceful  yellow-flowered  shrub.  Slender, 
pendulous  branches,  which  remain  bright  green  and  effective  all 
winter.  Any  garden  soil.  Double  form  and  variegated  form  and 
dwarf  with  striped  branches.  Good  as  a  specimen.  Sometimes 
winter-kills  in  extreme  North.  Best  in  partial  shade.  Propagate 
cuttings,  layers,  or  divisions.  ,  WHITE  (Rhodoiypos  kerrioides). 

4  to  5  feet.     White,  less  profuse  and  later.     Black  berries  retained 
all  winter. 

LILAC,  COMMON  (Syringa  vulgaris).  May;  20  feet.  Very  fragrant  lilac, 
white,  or  purple  flowers.  Grows  anywhere,  even  in  partial  shade. 
Spray  with  potassium  sulphide  for  mildew  in  August,  September. 
Do  not  permit  suckers  to  develop.  Prune  for  form  only.  Most 


Shrubs  181 

popular   old-fashioned    summer    flowering    shrub.     Transplant    in 

autumn. ,  HUNGARIAN  (S.  Josikata).     June;    12  feet.     Violet. 

More  compact  panicle.     Less  handsome,  but  larger,  more  club-like 
blooms.     ,  CHINESE  (S.  Pekinensis).     June;    15  feet.     Hand- 
some foliage  retained  late  in  fall.     Young  plants  do  not  flower  well. 
— ,   PERSIAN  (S.  Persica).     Most  profuse  bloomer.     May,  June; 

5  to    10  feet.     Loose,   broad   panicles;    pale  lilac,  white.      , 

ROUEN  (S.  Chinensis).  May;  12  feet.  Arching  branches;  purple, 
lilac,  red,  white.  Hybrid  of  the  Persian  and  common.  Many 
named  modern  varieties  of  lilacs  are  offered  in  the  catalogues: 
Marie  Le  Graye,  best  white;  Ludwig  Spaeth,  dark  purple;  Belle 
de  Nancy,  pink  with  white  centre,  double.  The  named  varieties  are 
usually  grafted  on  common  privet,  which  has  a  tendency  to  sucker 
unless  planted  very  deeply.  Deep  planting  may  result  in  the  lilac 
ultimately  getting  on  its  own  roots. 

[AGNOLIA,  HALL'S  (Magnolia  stellata).  Most  fragrant  and  showiest 
white-flowered  shrub  blooming  before  the  leaves.  April;  10  feet.  Very 
fragrant.  Differing  from  the  other  magnolias  by  having  star-like 
instead  of  cup-shaped  flowers.  Blooms  from  2  feet  high.  Rich 
soil,  moderately  moist.  Difficult  to  transplant.  Best  done  in  spring. 
Propagate  seeds  or  layers. 

[APLE,  JAPAN  (Acer  palmatum  in  many  varieties).  4  to  12  feet.  Most 
important  variously  coloured  and  as  variously  cut  deciduous  small 
trees,  but  used  as  shrubs.  Many  named  varieties  in  catalogues,  as 
atropurpureum,  sanguineum,  aureum,  dissectum,  etc.,  which  names 
also  describe  them.  (See  page  151). 

IOCK  ORANGE,  SYRINGA  (Philadelphia*  coronartus).  May,  June;  10  feet. 
The  most  fragrant  summer-flowering  white  shrub.  Flowers  ij 
inches  across.  Several  named  varieties  in  the  trade.  This  is  the 
most  fragrant  species,  but  somewhat  stiff  in  habit  and  not  so  showy 
as  some  others.  The  crushed  leaves  often  have  the  odour  of  cucum- 
bers.    (P.  Lemoinei).  Very  graceful  with  arching  branches 

covered  with  flowers.  Many  varieties  of  this,  differing  in  size  of 

flowers.  (P.  Gcrdonianus).  Large  flowers,  but  scentless.  12 

feet.  ,  GOLDEN  (P.  coronarius,  var.  aureus).  Bright  yellow.  10 

feet.  The  most  popular  golden-leaved  shrub,  keeping  its  colour  the 
whole  season.  Compact  habit.  Effective  as  an  accent  close  to  the 
house,  or  on  the  "points"  of  a  shrubbery  border.  (P. 


The  American  Flower  Garden 

Falconeri).  Arching,  oblong,  pointed  petals.  June;  8  feet.  

(P.  inodorus).  Flowers  in  clusters  of  I  to  3.  May,  June.  Less 
floriferous  than  others  and  is  sometimes  not  quite  hardy  North. 

MULBERRY,  FRENCH  (Callicarpa  purpurea).  Flowers  pink,  in  July; 
3  to  4  feet.  Grown  for  lilac- violet  fruits  which  persist  in  dense 
clusters  all  along  the  stem  into  winter.  Hardier  than  the  native 
species,  C.  Americana,  having  more  handsome  violet-coloured  fruits. 
Springs  up  from  the  roots  and  flowers  the  same  season.  Prefers 
sandy  loam  and  heat.  Full  sun.  Propagate  by  cuttings  in  spring 
or  fall;  also  layers,  seeds. 

MULBERRY,  TEA'S  WEEPING  (Morus  alba,  var.  Tatarica  pendula). 
Grafted  at  4  feet.  A  small  tree  with  severely  pendulous  branches 
with  fairly  deep-lobed  leaves.  Spreads  a  few  feet  only.  For  small 
gardens  where  some  special  character  tree  is  wanted.  Good  for 
covering  steep  banks.  Best  small  weeping  tree  for  lawns. 

NANNY  BERRY.     See  SHEEP  BERRY. 

NEW  JERSEY  TEA  (Ceanothus  Americanus).  July  to  September;  3  feet. 
One  of  the  freest  flowering  and  latest  blooming  shrubs.  White. 
Excellent  for  shaded  places,  dry  woods,  etc.  Propagate  by  seeds 
and  soft  wood  cuttings  in  spring,  mature  wood  in  autumn. 

NINEBARK  (Physocarpus  opulifolius).  Spreading,  arching  branches. 
Flowers  in  corymbs,  greenish  white,  followed  by  bright  red  fruit; 
very  effective  in  late  summer.  8  to  10  feet.  One  of  the  best  hardy 
native  shrubs.  Any  garden  soil  and  situation.  Propagate  by  seeds 
or  cuttings. 

OLEASTER,  RUSSIAN  OLIVE  (Eleagnus  an  gusti folia).  20  feet.  Hand- 
some foliage  with  silvery  under  sides.  Inconspicuous  flowers,  followed 
by  ornamental  fruit.  June.  Fragrant.  Berries  yellow.  Also 
coated  with  silvery  scales.  Branches  sometimes  spiny.  Any  well- 
drained  soil,  including  limestone.  Propagates  by  seeds  and  cuttings 
very  easily;  also  root  cuttings  and  layers. 

PEARL  BUSH  (Exochorda  grandi flora).  May;  8  feet.  White  flowers  2 
inches  across,  with  large  green  disc.  Like  a  giant-flowered  spirea, 
but  blooming  a  trifle  later.  Very  useful  in  shrubbery,  best  massed 
with  other  shrubs;  especially  effective  with  Forsythia  suspensa  in 
foreground.  Grows  in  any  good  soil.  Propagate  seeds,  cuttings, 
layers.  Only  old  plants  produce  fruits. 

PINXTER  FLOWER.     See  AZALEA. 


Shrubs  183 

PLUM,  FLOWERING  (Prunus  triloba).  Pink  flowers,  double,  appearing  just 
before  the  leaves.  May,  June;  4  to  5  feet.  Own  root  plants  best 
by  layering.  Often  grafted  on  plum  as  a  standard,  but  then  short 

lived.  Much  like  flowering  almond,  but  hairy.  ,  PURPLE  (P. 

Pissardi).  Grown  for  its  purple  foliage.  Flowers  pale  pink,  small. 

PRIVET,  REGEL'S  (Ligustrum  Ibota,  var.  Regelianum).  June,  July;  8 
feet,  but  usually  a  much  smaller  plant.  The  only  privet  worth 
growing  for  its  flowers.  Borne  in  pendant  tassels  on  almost  horizon- 
tally spreading  branches.  Valuable  on  banks.  ,  GOLDEN 

(var.  variegatum).  8  feet.  Green  and  yellow.  The  quickest 
growing  variegated  shrub  that  can  be  sheared  with  impunity.  For 
small  edgings  or  borders  to  walks  and  for  formal  effects.  Use 
judiciously  in  all  cases.  Not  absolutely  hardy,  but  usually  safe. 
Propagated  easily  by  cuttings.  See  also  HEDGES,  p.  189. 

RASPBERRY,  FLOWERING  (Rubus  odoratus).  3  to  5  feet.  Strong  growing 
with  shreddy  bark.  Leaves  like  a  large  maple.  Flowers  rose-purple, 
i  inch  across.  Good  for  semi-wild  effects.  Isolate  from  other 
colours. 

RHODORA  (Azalea  Canadensis).  Flowers  rose-purple  in  clusters  of  five 
to  seven.  A  common  native  plant  throughout  Eastern  North 
America.  April,  May;  i  to  3  feet.  The  earliest  flowering  hardy 
azalea.  Best  on  loose,  peaty  soil. 

ROSE  OF  SHARON,  ALTHEA  (Hibiscus  Syriacus).  The  best  (or  maybe 
the  worst)  August  and  late  summer  flowering  tall  shrub.  12  feet. 
Starts  to  leaf  very  late  in  the  spring.  Valuable  for  screens.  Plant 
very  early  in  the  fall,  but  best  in  spring.  Flowers  on  old  wood. 
Variegated  form.  Many  varieties  with  single  and  double  flowers 
ranging  from  white  through  pink  to  magenta  and  purple;  also  varie- 
gated foliage;  18  feet.  The  single  white,  pure  pink  and  lavender- 
blue  varieties  are  very  lovely,  but  some  harsh  hued  altheas  and 

weigelas  are  the  ugliest  shrubs  in  common  cultivation.  

(H.  Syriacus •,  var.  fl.-pl.foliis  variegatis).  15  feet,  leaves  green,  edged 
light  yellow.  Sturdiest  late-flowering  variegated  shrub.  Quite  hardy, 
stands  shearing.  The  purple  flowers  are  double  and  not  showy. 

ROSE,  RUGOSA  (Rosa  rugosa).  3  feet.  The  only  rose  that  makes  an 
ornamental  shrub.  Dense  mass  of  dark  green  foliage  with  large 
flowers  produced  at  intervals  all  summer;  fragrant.  Magenta  to 
pure  white.  Fruits  very  ornamental  like  small  apples,  orange-yellow. 


184  The  American  Flower  Garden 

Best  hybrids:  Blanc  double  de  Coubert,  white;  Conrad  Ferdinand 
Meyer,  silvery  rose.  All  soils,  including  seaside.  Do  not  prune. 
Propagate  by  seeds  or  named  varieties  by  hard  wood  cuttings. 
SHEEP  BERRY,  NANNY  BERRY  (Viburnum  Lentago).  White  flowers. 
May,  June,  30  feet.  In  cymes  followed  by  clusters  of  oval  bluish 
black  fruit  with  bloom,  which  endure  till  spring.  Sometimes  a  tree. 

SENNA.     See  BLADDER  SENNA. 

SIBERIAN  PEA  (Caragana  arborescens).  Pale  or  bright  yellow  pear-like 
flowers.  May  and  June;  up  to  20  feet.  Sometimes  a  tree.  Variety 
pendular  with  weeping  branches  is  very  beautiful.  Any  soil,  but 
sandy  preferred.  Sunny  position.  Propagate  by  seeds,  fall  or  spring, 
root  cuttings  and  layers.  Best  yellow  flowered  shrub  of  its  season. 

SMOKE  BUSH  (Rhus  Cotinus).  Small  flowers  in  loose  panicles  becoming 
profusely  plumose  in  June,  July;  10  to  12  feet.  Very  effective  as 
lawn  specimens.  Leaves  nearly  round,  dark  green.  A  very  charac- 
teristic shrub,  common  in  old  gardens.  Attacked  by  borers. 

SNOWBALL,  COMMON  (Viburnum  Opulus,  var.  sterile).  Large  balls  of 
white  flowers.  May,  June;  9  feet.  Old-time  favourite.  Ragged 
habit  and  subject  to  plant  louse.  Deep  moist  soil.  The  fertile  form 
of  this  shrub  is  the  Highland  cranberry,  having  scarlet  fruit  in  July 

till  following  spring.     ,  JAPAN  (V.  tomentosum).     Is  a  much 

better  shrub,  especially  for  specimens.  Flower  heads  more 
rounded,  cleaner,  leaves  crinkled  and  deeper  green,  brown  on  the 
reverse.  Blooms  a  little  later.  The  best  white  large  flowered 
summer  shrub.  May  be  trained  on  walls.  Propagate  by  cuttings. 

SNOWBERRY  (Symphoricarpos  racemosus).  Clusters  of  large  snow  white 
berries,  at  intervals  along  the  slender  branches.  An  old-time  favour- 
ite. Grows  anywhere.  Flowers  pink  but  inconspicuous.  May, 
June;  5  feet.  Berries  from  late  June  till  after  frost.  Spreads 
rapidly  by  suckers. 

SILVER  BELL,  SNOWDROP  TREE  (Halesia  tetraptera).  White.  May. 
10  feet.  Bewildering  cloud  of  white  flowers  before  the  leaves.  The 
most  conspicuous  of  the  early  white  flowering  trees.  Any  good  soil. 
Habit  twiggy  and  pendulous. 

SPICE  BUSH  (Benzoin  odoriferum).  6  to  15  feet.  Leaves  oblong,  finely 
ciliate,  bright  green.  Flowers  yellow,  before  the  leaves,  in  rosettes. 
One  of  the  earliest  flowering  shrubs  with  aromatic  bark.  Fruit 


Shrubs  185 

crimson,  spicy.  Foliage  bright  yellow  in  fall.  Peaty  and  sandy 
soils.  Propagate  by  greenwood  cuttings  under  glass  or  by  seeds. 
See  also  STRAWBERRY  SHRUB. 

SPIRE  A  (Various  species  of  Spirtea).  White  or  pink.  May,  June; 
4  to  6  feet.  The  most  generally  popular  flowering  shrubs  of  light, 
graceful  habit  for  early  summer,  as  lawn  specimens,  hedges,  or  in 

shrubbery.     ,  BRIDAL  WREATH  (S.  Thunbergii).     Perhaps  the 

most  popular  lawn  shrub;  profusion  of  small  white  flowers,  feathery 
effect;  May;  finely  cut  bright  green  foliage  all  summer,  turning 
to  shades  of  red  and  yellow  in  fall;  wood  slender;  makes  excellent 

hedge.      ,  VAN  HOUTTE'S  (S.  Van  Houttei).      June;  6  feet. 

The  most  showy  of  the  spireas;  flowers  in  umbels  two  inches  across. 
Handsome  foliage  all  summer.  Plant  in  conspicuous  place  with 
ample  room.  Cut  out  flowering  wood  in  summer.  Thrives  any- 
where.   ,  ANTHONY  WATERER  (S.  Bumalda,  var.  Anthony 

Water  er).  July;  3  feet.  The  only  shrub  of  its  period.  Flowers 
magenta-red  produced  successively  for  six  weeks.  Used  for  edging. 
Prune  off  old  flower  head  as  soon  as  withered  if  second  crop  is 

wanted.     ,  PLUM-LEAVED  (S.  prunifolid).     Slender  branches, 

slightly  hairy.  Flowers  in  small  umbels.  Pure  white,  I J  inch  across. 
May;  6  feet.  The  double  form  (var.  flore  plena)  with  little 
white  buttons,  particularly  showy  and  most  commonly  grown. 

Foliage  not  shining.      Bright  orange  in  fall.      (S.   argutd). 

White.  May;  6  feet.  The  most  free  flowering  and  showiest 
of  the  early  kinds.  A  hybrid  from  Thunberg's  and  quite  hardy. 
The  other  parent  (£.  multi-fiord)  blooms  a  little  later,  but 

otherwise  similar.     ,  STEEPLE  BUSH  (S.  tomentosa).     Flowers 

in  dense  narrow  panicles.  Pink.  July,  September;  4  feet.  Does 
not  sucker  like  others  of  this  section.  Specially  valuable  late  bloom- 
ing shrub.  ,  MEADOWSWEET  (S.  alba).  Similar,  but  with 

white  flowers,  somewhat  looser.     June,  August.      See  also  GOAT'S 
BEARD,  in  PERENNIALS,  p.  222. 
IPIREA,  BLUE.     See  BLUE  SPIREA. 

>TAGGER  BUSH  (Pieris  Mariana).  Nodding  flowers,  in  clusters,  on 
leafless  branches  of  the  previous  year.  Pinkish  white.  April,  May; 
2  to  4  feet.  Moderately  moist,  well-drained  porous  soil,  in  partial 
shade.  Avoid  limestone  and  heavy  clay.  Plant  with  rhododendrons. 
Propagate  by  layers  or  cuttings  in  heat. 


1 86  The  American  Flower  Garden 


STORAX  (Styrax  Japonica).  Often  a  tree.  Flowers  white,  J  inch  across 
in  tassels,  profusely  strung  all  over  the  young  growths.  Hardy  to 
Massachusetts.  One  of  the  most  beautiful  summer  shrubs.  June, 

July;    up  to  30  feet.     (S.  Ob  as  si  a).     Larger  fragrant  flowers. 

Light  porous  soils.     The  best  white  tassel  flowering  summer  shrub. 

STRAWBERRY  BUSH  (Euonymus  Americanus).  Very  attractive  in  fall, 
with  expanded  capsules  showing  pink  berries.  Flowers  incon- 
spicuous in  June;  8  feet.  Grows  anywhere.  Easily  propagated. 

STRAWBERRY  SHRUB  (Calycanthus  floridus).  An  upright  shrub  with 
somewhat  coarse  leaves.  Deep  red-brown  flowers  with  pungent, 
spicy  odour.  May;  6  to  10  feet.  Propagate  by  division  or  layers. 
Any  garden  soil.  An  old  favourite. 

SUMACH,  STAG  HORN  (Rhus  typhina).  Velvety,  hairy  foliage.  Flowers 
in  dense  panicle,  followed  by  red  fruit  masses.  July,  August;  usually 
10  to  12  feet,  sometimes  30.  One  of  the  best  for  fall  colour.  Adapted 
to  driest  soils  in  wild  or  semi-wild  situations.  Var.  lacintata  has 

deeply  cut  foliage.  ,  SMOOTH  (S.  glabra).  10  to  15  feet.  Similar, 

but  not  hairy,  very  commonly  planted  in  dense  masses.  There  is  a 

cut-leaved  variety  (va'r.  laciniata).  ,  POISON  (R.  venenata). 

10  to  20  feet.  Usually  a  tree.  Very  effective  with  red  petiole  and 
midrib  with  pinnate  leaves.  Shiny  leaves,  fruit  white.  Moist 
ground.  Very  beautiful,  but  poisonous. 

SWEET  PEPPER  BUSH  (Clethra  alnifolia).  July,  September;  3  to  10  feet. 
Fleecy  spires,  white  flowers  with  spicy  fragrance;  much  visited  by 
bees;  excellent  for  late  summer  blooming,  mixed  shrubberies.  Best 
for  naturalising  along  streams  and  ponds.  Moist  peaty  or  sandy  soil. 
One  of  the  best  late  flowering  shrubs,  adapted  to  a  variety  of  situations. 

SYRINGA.     See  MOCK  ORANGE. 

TAMARIX  (Tamarix  Gallica).  Delicate  pink  plumes.  May,  July;  15 
feet.  Foliage  very  fine  and  plumy  also.  Unexcelled  for  salty  and 
alkaline  soils.  Grows  right  on  the  sea  side.  Can  be  cut  back 
severely.  Flowers  produced  on  old  wood  but  in  the  variety  Nar- 
bonnensis  on  the  new  wood.  The  best  hardy  shrubs  for  feathery 
effect  in  wind-swept  places.  (See  p.  191.) 

TREE  PEONY  (Paonia  Moutan).  May,  June;  3  to  6  feet.  Immense 
rosy,  magenta,  crimson,  pink  or  white  flowers  I  foot  across.  The 
largest  flowered  early  shrub.  An  immense  number  of  varieties  are 


Shrubs  187 

offered;  the  best  are  grafted  on  common  magenta  stock  which 
should  not  be  allowed  to  develop.  Give  rich  garden  soil.  Easily 
raised  from  seed. 

VIBURNUM.  See  SNOWBALL,  DOCKMACKIE,  ARROWWOOD,  NANNY 
BERRY,  WAYFARING  TREE,  HIGH  BUSH  CRANBERRY. 

WAX  MYRTLE  (Myrica  cerifera).  3  to  6  feet.  Dark  green  leaves,  berries 
bluish  white,  coated  with  wax,  with  aromatic  odour,  and  much  sought 
by  birds.  Good  for  semi-wild  effects. 

WAYFARING  TREE  (Viburnum  Lantana).  Flowers  white  in  cymes  3 
inches  across  with  seven  showy  white  rays  on  the  margin.  May, 
June;  up  to  20  feet,  sometimes  a  tree.  Excellent  for  dry  situation 
and  limestone  soils.  Fruit  bright  red,  changing  to  black. 

WEiGELA(Diervillaflorida).  June;  6  feet.  Showiest  shrub  of  midsum- 
mer. Following  the  lilacs.  Flowers  pink,  white,  red,  claret-crim- 
son to  magenta.  Best  flowering  shrubs  under  big  trees.  Can  be 
planted  where  other  shrubs  fail.  Free  from  insects  and  disease. 
Cut  out  old  wood  to  the  ground.  Many  varieties,  as:  Abel  Carriere 
and  Rosea,  carmine  changing  to  red;  Alba,  changing  to  pink;  Eva 
Rathke,  dark  wine  red;  Candida,  pure  white;  Nana  variegata, 
dwarf,  variegated  leaves. 

WITCH  HAZEL  (Hamamelis  Firginiana).  Flowers  yellow  and  brown. 
September,  October,  followed  by  conspicuous  fruits  which,  brought 

indoors  in  winter,  will  explode  and  scatter  seed;  25  feet.  

(H.  Japonic  a).  Flowers  February  to  April.  Foliage  bright  yellow, 
orange,  or  purple  in  fall.  Moist,  peaty  and  sandy  soil.  Most 
valuable  shrub  of  early  winter. 

YELLOW  ROOT  (Xanthorrhiza  apiifolia).  Flowers  small,  purplish.  April; 
I  to  20  feet.  In  drooping  racemes.  Any  good  soil  but  best  in 
moist  and  shady  places.  Suckers  freely  in  spring.  Golden  yellow 
in  autumn.  Stems  and  roots  bright  yellow.  Not  quite  hardy  North. 

THE  VERY  BEST  TREES  AND  SHRUBS  FOR  HEDGES 

[In  the  following  list  are  included  only  such  plants  as  will  stand  shearing,  for  obviously 
any  moderate  growing  shrub  of  low  stature  can  be  utilised  for  hedge  purposes.  Such  may 
be  selected  from  the  list  of  Deciduous  Shrubs,  p.  175,  and  Evergreens,  p.  i$5$ 

ASHBERRY,  HOLLY-LEAVED  (Berberis  or  Mahonia  Aquifolium).  Ever- 
green and  hardy,  but  foliage  sometimes  burns  in  winter.  Tassels 


1 88  The  American  Flower  Garden 

of  golden  yellow  flowers  in  May,  followed  by  black  purple  berries 
with  heavy  bloom.  3  to  4  feet. 

BARBERRY,  JAPAN  (Herberts  Thunbergii).  The  best  low  ornamental 
defensive  hedge  plant.  Foliage  brilliant  scarlet  in  fall;  graceful 
arching  twigs  strung  with  red  berries,  persistent  through  winter; 

3  to  3i  feet '  quick  grower;  thrives  North  and  South.  ,  COMMON 

(B.  vulgaris).  Taller,  not  so  neat,  but  hardy  and  decorative. 

BEECH  (Fagus  sylvatica).  Slow  growing,  very  long  lived,  carrying 
foliage  nearly  all  winter.  Excellent  screen.  Plant  very  early. 
Valuable  as  a  windbreak  where  evergreens  are  not  suitable.  Pre- 
fers dry,  sandy  loam  or  limestone  soil. 

BOXWOOD  (Buxus  sempervirens).  The  ideal  hedge  and  edging  plant 
for  formal  gardens.  Dense  habit.  Evergreen.  Moderately  rapid 
grower.  Can  be  sheared  freely.  There  are  several  varieties  (see 
page  156);  the  tree  box  attains  a  height  of  30  feet;  dwarf  box,  3 
to  4  feet;  others  differ  in  size  and  form  of  leaf.  Needs  winter 
mulch  at  the  North. 

BUCKTHORN  (Rhamnus  cathartica).  The  best  strong  hedge,  as  dense 
and  tight  as  honey  locust,  but  not  so  high;  6  feet.  Thorny,  never 
ragged,  moderate  grower.  Spray  with  kerosene  emulsion  for 
hop  louse.  Old  hedges  that  are  out  of  condition  are  easily  recovered 
by  cutting  back. 

CONIFEROUS  EVERGREEN.  In  the  North  the  coniferous  evergreens 
are  by  far  the  most  satisfactory  hedge  plants  for  all  purposes. 
Of  these  the  native  hemlock  is  best,  thriving  everywhere.  Young 
growth  extremely  feathery  and  whole  plant  lively  green  all  the 
winter. — Norway  spruce,  somewhat  similar  but  stifFer  and  blacker. — 
White  pine,  long  needles  of  light  gray  green. — Arborvitae  is  best 
small-foliaged  dense-growing  plant,  making  very  compact  hedge 
up  to  20  feet.  Stands  shearing.  Excellent  for  low  soils  and  swamps. 
Plants  from  dry  soils  transplant  badly. — Siberian  arborvitae  is 
greener  in  winter. — Yew:  unfortunately  this  favourite  European 
hedge  plant  is  unreliable  in  America  unless  potected  in  winter 
from  strong  wind  and  sunshine.  For  hedge  purposes  the 
hemlock  is  its  substitute.  (For  full  descriptions  see  EVERGREENS, 
pp.  155  to  162.) 

HOLLY  (Ilex  opaca).  The  native  American  holly,  an  excellent  slow- 
growing  evergreen  which  stands  moderate  shearing.  Will  grow 


Shrubs  189 

throughout  the  Atlantic  Coast.  Best  hedge  plant  for  sandy  soil. 
In  the  South  Ilex  Cassine,vrith  small  arbutus-like  leaves  and  brilliant 
red  berries  all  winter,  is  better. 

HYDRANGEA,  HARDY  (Hydrangea  paniculata,  var.  grandi flora).  Best 
flowering  hedge  for  late  summer.  Immense  white  cones  of  bloom. 
August,  September.  (See  p.  179.) 

LAUREL,  MOUNTAIN  (Kalmia  latifolia).  For  tall  and  broad  screen  up 
to  10  feet.  Must  not  be  sheared.  Pinkish  white  flower  clusters  in 
May,  June,  are  highly  decorative.  Well-drained  soil,  succeeding 
even  in  rocky  places  in  New  England.  Evergreen. 

LOCUST,  HONEY  (Gleditschia  triacanthos).  For  a  strong,  high  defence. 
The  thorniest  of  all.  "Bull  strong,  horse  high,  and  pig  tight." 
Perfectly  hardy,  fast  and  vigorous  grower;  suckers.  Plant  thickly 
and  prune  severely.  Mice  girdle  in  winter.  Spring  trimmings  must 
be  burned.  Needs  strict  control. 

MAGNOLIA  (Magnolia  glaucd).  Excellent  south  of  New  York.  Large 
glaucous  leaves  becoming  evergreen  in  the  real  South.  One  of  the 
best  for  windbreaks.  Beautiful  in  flower.  M.  conspicua  and 
M.  Soulangeana  make  most  striking  ornamental  flowering  hedges. 
(See  TREES,  p.  149.) 

MAHONIA.     See  ASHBERRY. 

OSAGE  ORANGE  (Toxylon  pomiferuni).  Grows  in  any  soil.  Makes  a 
dense  defensive  high  hedge  as  far  north  as  Massachusetts.  Unless 
regularly  trimmed,  the  top  branches  will  spread.  Will  exhaust 
soil  on  each  side  for  some  feet. 

ORANGE,  TRIFOLIATE  (Citrus  trifoliata).  Best  medium  height,  impene- 
trable hedge  for  the  South,  where  it  is  evergreen.  Deciduous  in  the 
North.  Foliage  yellow  in  fall.  Not  reliably  hardy  north  of  Philadel- 
phia. White  flowers  in  May,  followed  by  small  yellow  fruits,  make 
it  ornamental  also.  Set  one  foot  apart  and  cut  back  to  8  inches. 
Give  two  trimmings  annually. 

PRIVET,  AMOOR  (Ligustrum  Amurense).  Evergreen  except  in  extreme 
cold  situations;  more  spreading  habit  than  California  privet,  and 
darker  green.  A  valuable  hedge  plant,  especially  in  the  South, 
enduring  both  heat  and  cold  and  on  any  soil  not  an  actual  swamp. 

In  rich  soil  will  give  good  hedge  in  two  years.     ,  CALIFORNIA 

(L.  ovali folium).     For  shelter.     Fastest  growing.     Stands  salt  spray. 


i  go 


The  American  Flower  Garden 


Good  soil  binder.  Stands  severest  pruning  and  can  be  trained  high 
or  low.  Most  popular  hedge  plant  in  modern  gardens.  Free  from 
disease  and  stands  shearing  with  impunity.  Almost  evergreen. 
Foliage  bright  green  in  summer,  becoming  bronze  in  winter.  Occa- 
sionally winter  kills  to  the  ground  in  the  North.  Set  6  inches  deeper 
than  in  the  nursery  and  cut  back  to  6  inches  or  less.  Set  12  inches 

apart,  or  up  to  2  feet  in  very  rich  ground. ,  REGEL'S  (L.  Ibota, 

var.  Regelianum).  Low  growing,  denser  habit  with  spreading, 
drooping  branches  clothed  with  white  tassels  in  June;  8  feet.  Useful 
as  a  border  hedge  to  plantations  and  along  roadways.  Should  not 
be  planted  as  a  protection.  The  best  of  the  flowering  privets. 
Lower,  denser  habit  than  Ibota. 

QUINCE,  JAPAN  (Cydonia  Japonic  a).  Most  showy  defensive  hedge  of 
spring.  Bright  scarlet  flowers  in  May.  Spreading  spiny  branches 
making  strong  low  defence,  growing  six  feet  high.  Do  not  prune  too 
close.  Subject  to  San  Jose  scale.  Best  defensive  hedge  for  flower 
gardens. 

ROSE,  RUGOSA  (Rosa  rugosd).  Best  rose  for  hedge  purposes  growing 
right  on  the  seaside.  Much  used  in  Newport,  R.  I.  Flowers 
magenta  to  pure  white,  slightly  fragrant,  produced  all  summer. 
Large  apple-like  fruits.  Grows  three  feet  high  and  does  not  need 
shearing.  (See  p.  183.)  Other  roses  for  effect  are  Marie  Pavie 
and  other  polyanthas.  (See  ROSES,  p.  309.)  The  native  rose,  R. 
luciday  is  excellent  for  low  border  hedge,  carrying  fruits  till  winter. 
Should  be  cut  back  entirely  every  few  years. 

ROSE  OF  SHARON  (Hibiscus  Syriacus).  Sturdiest  and  largest  flowered 
hedge.  Leafs  late  in  spring.  Blooms  in  August,  September. 
Select  good  pink  or  white  varieties.  Prune  in  winter  for  profusion  of 
flowers.  Do  not  permit  the  plants  to  run  up,  leaving  the  base  bare. 
Set  3  feet  apart. 

SPINDLE  TREE  (Euonymus  Japonicus).  South  of  Washington  one  of 
the  best  hedge  plants,  and  does  well  in  the  North  with  shelter.  The 
bright  pink  and  orange  fruits  recall  the  bittersweet.  A  climbing 
variety  (var.  radicans)  is  an  excellent  evergreen  vine  and  is  hardy  in 
New  England.  There  are  various  colour  variations  in  the  foliage. 

SPIREA,  VAN  HOUTTE'S  (Sp>iraa  Van  Houttei).  Best  white-flowered 
hedge.  Handsome  foliage  all  summer.  Good  informal  hedge  and 


Shrubs 


191 


also  especially  suitable  for  formal  gardens,  as  it  does  not  run  riot. 
Prune  out  old  wood  in  summer  immediately  after  flowering.  (For 
other  spireas  see  p.  185). 

TAMARIX  (Tamarix  Gallica).  Unexcelled  for  saline  and  alkaline  soils, 
growing  on  the  salt  water's  edge  where  nothing  else  will.  Flowers 
feathery,  pink,  on  old  wood  in  the  type;  but  on  new  wood  in  variety 
Narbonnensis.  Foliage  fine  and  feathery.  (See  p.  186.) 


PERENNIALS   FOR  A  THOUGHT-OUT 

GARDEN 


"/.     Whatever  is  worth  growing  at  all  is  worth  growing  well. 
"II.     Study  soil  and  exposure,  and  cultivate  no  more  space  than  can    be 
maintained  in  perfect  order. 

"III.  Plant  thickly;  it  is  easier  and  more  profitable  to  raise  flowers  than 
weeds. 

"IV.  Avoid  stiffness  and  exact  balancing;  garden  vases  and  garden 
flowers  need  not  necessarily  be  used  in  pairs. 

"  V.  A  flower  is  essentially  feminine  and  demands  attention  as  the  price  oj 
its  smiles. 

"  VI.  Let  there  be  harmony  and  beauty  of  colour.  Magenta  in  any  form  is 
•v  discord  that  should  never  jar. 

"  VII.  In  studying  colour  effects,  do  not  overlook  white  as  a  foil;  white  is 
the  lens  of  the  garden's  eye. 

"  VIII.  Think  twice  and  then  still  think  before  placing  a  tree,  shrub,  or 
plant  in  position.  Think  thrice  before  removing  a  specimen  tree. 

"  IX.  Grow  an  abundance  of  flowers  for  cutting;  the  bees  and  butterflies  are 
not  entitled  to  all  the  spoils. 

"  X.  Keep  on  good  terms  with  your  neighbour;  you  may  wish  a  large  garden 
favour  of  him,  some  day. 

"  XI.    Love  a  flower  in  advance  and  plant  something  every  year. 

"  XII.  Show  me  a  well-ordered  garden  and  I  will  show  you  a  genial  home." 

—  GEORGE  H.  ELL w ANGER. 


CHAPTER   XI 

PERENNIALS    FOR    A   THOUGHT-OUT    GARDEN 

FLOWERING  plants  that  live  or  perpetuate  themselves 
from  year  to  year,  giving  one  a  high  rate  of  com- 
pound interest  as  their  numbers  and  beauty  naturally 
increase,  commend  themselves  to  us  more  and  more  until,  happily, 
they  are  coming  to  be  regarded  again,  as  they  were  in  our 
grandmothers'  day,  as  the  very  basis  of  a  good  garden. 
We  may  be  sure  that  pioneer  gentlewomen,  who  were  their  own 
gardeners  chiefly,  and  who  had  to  cook,  churn,  spin,  weave 
and  sew  by  hand  all  the  clothing  for  large  families,  nurse  them 
and  dose  them  with  home-made  medicines,  make  quilts, 
candles,  wine,  and  a  thousand  other  things  which  would  stagger 
the  pampered  modern  woman,  learned  which  plants  rewarded 
a  minimum  amount  of  care  with  a  maximum  amount  of 
flowers.  A  few  moments  snatched  from  multitudinous  house- 
hold cares  from  time  to  time  sufficed  to  keep  our  grandmothers' 
gardens  gay  from  earliest  spring  to  frost,  and  it  is  little  wonder 
that  their  favourites  have  stood  the  test  of  time.  We  still  love 
their  peonies,  hollyhocks,  and  phloxes.  Some  fraxinella  in  an 
old  New  England  garden  has  outlived  great-grandmother,  grand- 
mother, mother  and  daughter.  One  plants  perennials  for  beauty 
that  is  permanent.  They  are  for  the  affections,  too. 

Compared  with  tender  annuals,  whose  seeds  must  be  sown 
every  spring,  many  of  them  indoors  or  under  glass,  their  seed- 
lings transplanted  to  the  open  ground  at  the  busiest  time  of  the 
garden  year,  how  refreshingly  easy  of  culture  the  perennials  are! 


196  The  American  Flower  Garden 

After  all  one's  care  bestowed  on  annuals,  it  gives  positive  pain 
to  witness  their  death,  root  and  branch,  with  the  first  frost; 
whereas  the  hardy  herbaceous  plants  merely  go  to  sleep  in  autumn 
preparing  for  a  more  glorious  resurrection  in  the  spring. 
Several  weeks  before  the  earliest  annual  is  ready  to  open  a  bud 
out  of  doors,  the  hardy  garden  is  lovely  with  snowdrops  and 
crocuses,  creeping  phlox,  myrtle,  English  daisies,  pink  and  white 
saxifrages,  daffodils,  sweet  rocket,  bleeding  heart,  lily-of-the- 
valley,  columbines,  clove  pinks,  narcissus,  peonies  and  iris,  some 
of  which  began  to  bloom  before  the  last  snowdrift  melted.  We 
welcome  them  joyfully,  like  old  friends  returned.  It  is  an  event- 
ful day  when  some  pet  plant  pushes  its  way  back  to  sight  through 
the  lately  frozen  earth.  If  old  flowers  are  kept  cut,  and  no  seed 
is  permitted  to  form,  the  well-regulated  hardy  garden  will  afford 
a  constant  succession  of  bloom  from  the  earliest  snowdrop  until 
the  Japanese  anemone,  chrysanthemum  and  Christmas  rose  finally 
succumb  to  inexorable  winter. 

Annuals  are  seemingly  cheap  because  the  seeds  come  in  five- 
cent  packages,  and  few  consider  that  they  have  to  be  annually 
renewed  or  calculate  the  value  of  the  time  consumed  in  trans- 
planting the  seedlings  from  boxes  or  hotbeds  to  the  open  ground. 
They  leave  the  ground  in  autumn  as  bare  as  it  was  in  spring,  the 
entire  investment  of  money  and  labour  having  disappeared.  But 
long  after  the  first  frost  some  perennials  bloom  and  others  con- 
tinue growing,  even  in  winter,  whenever  the  temperature  rises; 
and  either  by  virtue  of  their  own  hardy  constitutions,  or  of  creeping 
roots  that  will  send  forth  new  crowns  in  spring,  or  of  self-sown 
seeds,  they  all  insure  perpetuation  and  increase. 

Perennials  are  usually  offered  in  the  catalogues  as  well-grown 
plants  at  a  cost  of  from  one  dollar  to  three  dollars  or  more  a  dozen ; 


Perennials  for  a  Thought-out  Garden  197 

and  one  who  has  taken  the  pains  to  count  the  surprising  number 
of  plants  in  even  a  modest  little  garden  might  well  be  appalled 
at  the  price  of  a  new  one  composed  entirely  of  nursery  stock. 
But  when  it  is  remembered  that  the  first  cost  of  a  perennial  is  its 
only  cost,  that  a  large  stock  can  be  speedily  worked  up  from 
small  beginnings,  that  the  gaps  in  the  new  beds  or  borders  may 
be  filled  in  with  annuals  for  a  few  years  until  the  hardy  plants 
have  sufficiently  increased  to  overspread  the  bare  places,  that 
many  perennials  grow  from  seed  as  readily  as  annuals,  and  that 
patience,  rather  than  money,  is  required  to  establish  home-grown 
vigorous  stock,  the  argument  for  economy  must  be  decided  finally 
in  favor  of  permanent  plants.  Otherwise,  how  could  every 
cottager  in  Europe  contrive  to  have  his  little  dooryard  bright 
with  them  ?  They  are  secured  at  practically  no  cost,  the  casta- 
ways from  large  estates  supplying  the  workmen  on  them  with 
gleanings  from  which  their  neighbours  profit  in  time.  When  the 
old-fashioned  garden  gave  place  to  geometric  patterns  of  tender 
bedding  plants  on  the  fair  lawns  of  England  in  the  Victorian  era 
of  ugliness,  many  choice  perennials  would  have  perished  from 
the  land  had  they  not  been  treasured  by  the  humble,  who  were 
able  to  propagate  plants  from  their  old  stock  and  restore  them 
to  the  gentry  of  the  parish  when  the  hardy  garden  happily  came 
into  vogue  again  later  in  the  nineteenth  century. 

Winter  is  the  best  time  to  make  a  garden  which,  in  any  case, 
should  be  prepared  on  paper,  to  be  pored  over  and  dreamed  about 
months  before  a  spade  is  struck  into  the  earth.  What  visions 
of  beauty  flash  upon  the  inner  eye!  What  bliss  of  solitude  comes 
to  the  garden  lover  planning  his  plots  before  a  wood  fire  after 
the  winter  crop  of  catalogues  has  been  gathered  into  his  library! 
His  imagination  compasses  all  joys,  but  no  difficulties.  There  will 


198  The  American  Flower  Garden 

be  flowers  for  tender  association's  sake  in  his  dream  garden, 
flowers  to  give  away  by  the  armful,  larkspurs  for  the  Sunday 
evening  tea-table  when  the  old  Nankin  china  is  used,  gaillardias 
to  fill  the  Indian  baskets  on  his  bookshelves,  bee  balm  and  colum- 
bine to  attract  humming  birds  next  his  porch,  phloxes  to  help 
him  add  to  his  butterfly  collection,  Madonna  lilies  for  the  church 
altar,  roses  for  the  June  brides,  white  flowers  in  abundance  that 
his  garden  may  be  lovely  after  dark  when  all  other  colours  are 
absorbed  into  the  night,  clove  pinks  for  fragrance,  irises  for  stately 
form,  hollyhocks  for  bold  effects,  candytuft  whose  snow  is  not 
melted  by  sunshine,  love-in-a-mist  and  honesty  because  they  have 
pretty  names,  Iceland  poppies  for  their  wealth  of  exquisite  orange, 
yellow  and  white  tissue  flowers  from  May  to  October,  London 
pride  that  grew  in  his  mother's  garden  on  the  old  farm,  and  a 
miscellaneous  assortment  of  other  flowers  because  they  are 
beguilingly  described  or  temptingly  cheap  —  no  Chinaman's 
opium  dream  in  the  Flowery  Kingdom  was  ever  more  kaleido- 
scopic. 

After  an  orgie  among  the  catalogues  which,  needless  to  say, 
is  the  worst  possible  way  to  begin  a  garden,  albeit  the  most  pop- 
ular method,  the  dreamer  must  realise  that  the  section  of  the 
home  grounds  where  perennials  are  to  be  grown  needs  to  be 
drawn  to  scale  and  planned  even  more  carefully  than  other  parts 
of  the  place,  for  there  colour,  the  most  subtle  and  perplexing  of 
problems,  becomes  the  principal  factor  of  success.  The  border, 
the  old-fashioned  or  the  formal  garden,  or  wherever  the  prob- 
lematical plants  are  to  be  set  out,  will  be  charted  and  divided  into 
twenty-foot  units  of  space,  and  the  position  of  every  plant  indicated 
by  a  number  corresponding  to  the  number  assigned  each  flower 
on  the  dreamer's  list.  This  planting  list  should  indicate  not  only 


Perennials  for  a  Thought-out  Garden  199 

the  colour  of  the  flowers,  but  their  season  of  bloom,  the  height 
of  the  plant  and  its  preferences  for  soil  and  situation.  Three  charts 
are  necessary  to  show  the  effect  of  the  planting  in  spring,  summer 
and  autumn.  If  a  section  that  is  glorious  in  May  should  be 
barren  of  bloom  a  month  later,  another  group  of  plants  must  be 
introduced.  If  the  colours  of  eighteen  and  nineteen  conflict,  it 
is  far  easier  for  the  gardener  and  better  for  the  plants  to  move 
one  of  them  on  paper  than  if  it  were  rooted  in  the  earth.  Eighteen 
may  be  the  very  plant  needed  to  reconcile  seven  to  six.  Five 
may  be  most  lovely  next  nineteen.  If  all  the  permanent  plants 
needed  for  a  border  cannot  be  afforded  at  the  outset,  or  if  no 
desired  perennial  will  supply  a  crying  need  for  a  certain  colour  at 
a  certain  season,  recourse  may  be  had  to  annuals  for  quick  results. 
Restraint  in  a  garden,  as  at  a  feast,  is  preferable  to  excess. 
It  is  a  safe  rule  to  limit  one's  list  to  the  indispensables  at  first,  and 
never  to  buy  a  plant  whose  need  is  not  realised  in  one's  saner 
moments  after  the  spring  garden  fever  subsides.  Fitting  flowers 
to  suit  one  another,  the  climate,  the  soil  and  exposure,  it  may  be 
inferred,  is  an  intricate  scientific  and  artistic  feat.  The  foreign 
firm  who  make  a  speciality  of  hardy  herbaceous  borders  arranged 
for  continuous  bloom  and  harmonious  colour  effects  for  English 
gardens,  fill  a  want  deeply  felt  by  the  inexperienced  on  our  side 
of  the  sea.  All  the  plants  needed  to  fill  a  border  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  feet  long  by  eighteen  feet  wide,  as  indicated  on  a  spaced 
and  carefully  marked  chart,  are  supplied  for  about  four  hundred 
and  sixty  dollars.  Few  Americans  take  their  perennials  so  seri- 
ously. Nor  are  many  of  us  willing  to  miss  the  fun  of  blundering 
along  through  many  mistakes,  if  need  be,  toward  an  ideal  which 
ever  eludes  attainment  as  it  rises  higher  and  higher,  year  by  year, 
with  the  growth  of  the  critical  faculty.  Every  zealous  amateur 


2OO 


The  American  Flower  Garden 


has  a  dark  past  to  look  back  upon,  and  realises  that  his  task  is  in 
active  evolution.  A  ready-made  garden,  no  matter  how  correct, 
could  no  more  be  tolerated  by  a  true  lover  of  the  gentle  art  than 
the  ready-made  library  which  Silas  Lapham  bought  to  match 
his  upholstery. 

If  ready-grown  stock  is  to  be  ordered,  be  sure  it  comes  from 
a  reliable  nurseryman  who  is  not  colour  blind.  The  best  plants 
are  cheapest  in  the  end;  indeed,  they  are  the  only  ones  that  it 
pays  to  buy.  Strange  to  say,  few  dealers  in  the  world  guarantee 
seeds  and  plants  to  be  as  represented  in  their  catalogues,  and 
the  purchaser  who,  having  ordered  one  variety  receives  another, 
has,  in  most  cases,  no  redress.  Perhaps  the  most  reliable  firm 
in  the  United  States  give  "no  warranty,  express  or  implied,  as  to 
description,  quality,  productiveness,  or  any  other  matter  of  any 
seeds,  bulbs  or  plants"  they  send  out,  and  they  will  not  be  "  in  any 
way  responsible  for  the  crop."  What  other  class  of  merchants 
could  hope  to  sell  goods  on  such  terms  ? 

If  the  plants  themselves  are  a  disappointment,  how  much 
more  exasperating  is  it  to  sow  seeds  of  perennials  that  will  not 
flower  for  two  years  and  then  to  find  that  few,  perhaps  not  any, 
have  come  true  to  name!  The  hollyhocks  that  should  have  borne 
single  flowers  of  crepe-like  texture  and  pastel  tints  produce  stalks 
heavily  freighted  with  tight  wads  of  crude-coloured  shaving  paper, 
apparently.  The  old-fashioned  single  hollyhock,  beloved  by 
artists  but  rarely  listed  now,  has  suffered  much  at  the  hands  of 
the  modern  hybridiser  with  a  passion  for  multiplying  petals 
until  the  natural  form  of  this  most  decorative  old  flower  is  almost 
lost  through  alleged  improvements.  Out  of  the  fifty  Japanese 
irises  of  "crystalline  whiteness  like  moonlight  on  snow"  that  you 
order  from  a  specialist  with  a  genius  for  poetic  description,  forty- 


Perennials  for  a  Thought-out  Garden  201 

three,  perhaps,  will  be  purple  or  mauve.  Peonies  that  should 
be  "exquisite  silvery  pink"  blush  to  reveal  themselves  a  vivid 
magenta.  Larkspurs  described  in  the  catalogue  as  of  that  celes- 
tial light  blue  known  by  the  Chinese  as  "the  sky  washed  by  rain/' 
prove  to  be  double,  club-shaped  flowers  of  such  deep,  dark  indigo 
as  only  a  Chinese  laundryman  knows  the  value.  Plants  not 
hardy  north  of  Philadelphia  are  frequently  listed  without  reference 
to  that  fact  in  catalogues  sent  by  the  thousand  into  the  New 
England  States  and  Canada. 

But  a  polite  note  dispassionately  stating  one's  grievance  to 
the  head  of  the  firm  will  usually  bring  forth  in  him  fruits  meet 
for  repentance  —  there  will  be  an  offer  to  exchange  the  plants 
you  did  not  order  for  those  you  did,  express  charges  paid.  The 
time  lost  cannot  be  refunded,  it  is  true,  but  you  are  mollified 
until  the  next  blooming  season  comes  around,  when  it  is  quite 
likely  that  the  second  attempt  to  fill  your  order  correctly  proves 
to  be  no  more  successful  than  the  first.  After  three  fruitless 
efforts  to  get  my  favourite  larkspur  from  a  perfectly  honest  but 
careless  or  colour-blind  nurseryman  who  makes  a  specialty  of 
hardy  flowers,  after  seeing  a  twice-planted  hedge  of  altheas, 
supposed  to  bear  single  white  flowers,  produce  double  magenta 
and  lilac  ones,  after  suffering  eye  strain  from  deep  purple,  Hoboken 
pink,  indigo,  puce  and  other  herbaceous  horrors  that  have  to  be 
lug  up  and  consigned  to  the  compost  heap  to  save  the  garden 
from  a  nightmare  of  ugliness,  thereby  losing  over  a  third  of  all 
the  stock  purchased  and  a  year  of  time,  I  would  warn  the  reader 
that  his  only  safety  lies  in  visiting  the  nursery  when  the  plants 
desired  are  in  bloom  and  labelling  them  then  and  there.  Appar- 
ently there  is  the  grossest  carelessness,  even  among  leading 
nurserymen,  about  segregating  stock  to  fit  the  descriptions  given 


202 


The  American  Flower  Garden 


in  the  catalogues,  and  there  is  no  generally  accepted  colour  scale 
as  a  guide.  The  standardising  of  colours  is  the  most  crying  need 
in  the  trade.  What  is  a  " lovely  rosy  purple"  to  the  Dutchman 
may  be  an  excruciating  magenta  to  you  or  me.  French  dealers, 
apparently,  have  a  truer  eye  for  colour,  and  their  enlightened 
republic  publishes  a  chart  of  standardised  colours.  The  lament- 
able truth  is  that,  as  yet,  an  insignificant  number  of  cultivated 
Americans  take  a  sufficiently  keen  interest  in  their  gardens 
to  insist  that  they  reflect  their  own  taste,  not  the  nurseryman's 
nor  the  gardener's.  Very  few  complaints  are  received  when 
orders  are  not  filled  accurately;  a  phlox  is  a  phlox  to  the  vast 
majority  of  people  who  have  not  learned  to  discriminate  between 
the  washy  pink-purples  of  old  stock  that  is  trying  to  revert  to  the 
type  and  the  brilliant  orange  scarlet  of  the  Coquelicot,  the  finest 
red  yet  known,  the  great  white  snowballs  of  the  Queen  that  blows 
later  than  the  lovely  Miss  Lingard,  and  the  soft  chamois  rose 
and  salmon  tints  of  new  hybrids.  Indeed,  many  catalogues 
merely  offer  hardy  phloxes  of  assorted  colours  at  so  much  a  dozen, 
with  no  attempt  at  a  description.  Yet  an  indiscriminate  collec- 
tion of  perennial  phloxes  is,  perhaps,  the  most  excruciating  of 
all  eye  shockers. 

The  cheapest  way  to  grow  many  of  the  perennials  and  biennials, 
and  usually  the  surest  method  of  getting  only  those  you  want, 
is  to  grow  them  from  seed  collected  from  friends.  One  of  the 
most  beautiful  hardy  gardens  I  ever  saw  was  in  England,  and 
the  hundreds  of  vigorous  plants  had  actually  cost  the  owner,  the 
rector  of  a  village  church,  less  than  ten  shillings.  Specialising 
at  the  outset  on  a  strain  of  superb  larkspurs  grown  from  seed 
given  him  by  a  parishioner,  he  had  worked  up  a  stock  for  exchange 
with  specialists  in  other  perennials  until,  after  eight  years,  he 


Perennials  for  a  Thought-out  Garden          203 

owned  a  remarkable  collection  of  the  choicest  flowers  in  a  little 
garden  of  his  own  tending  that  people  drove  miles  to  see.  Two 
hours  a  day  were  all  he  permitted  himself  to  spend  upon  it,  yet 
it  was  in  faultless  order,  and  there  were  always  flowers  for  every 
visitor  to  carry  away  and  flowers  for  every  room  in  his  charming 
little  house.  When  Wordsworth  lived  in  Dove  Cottage  with  his 
sister  Dorothy,  on  an  income  of  eighty  pounds  a  year,  she  con- 
trived to  have  a  hardy  garden,  some  of  her  precious  daffodils 
and  perennials  persisting  there  to  this  day.  Charles  Kingsley's 
favourite  plants  which  he  raised  in  the  garden  at  Eversley  are  still 
cherished  there  by  his  daughter. 

Seed  that  is  kept  long  out  of  the  ground  loses  much  of  its 
vitality,  which  is  why  it  is  well  to  plant  it  as  soon  as  possible 
after  it  ripens.  It  is  a  safe  precaution  against  slow  germination 
to  soak  it  over  night.  In  any  case  some  seeds  take  weeks  to  sprout. 
Long  after  you  have  counted  them  dead  they  may  rise  to  glory. 
Every  place  requires  a  seed  bed,  large  or  small,  according  to  the 
demands  made  upon  it.  Perhaps  no  gardener  ever  thought 
he  had  land  enough  for  his  vegetables,  intense  cultivation  and 
scientific  rotation  of  crops  being  meaningless  phrases  to  the 
average  man  with  the  hoe.  But,  in  spite  of  his  protests  and 
possible  grudge,  it  is  well  to  sacrifice  a  few  carrots  and  cabbages, 
if  need  be,  to  a  plant  nursery.  Is  not  "the  beautiful  as  useful 
as  the  useful"?  Few  perennials  or  biennials  bloom  the  first 
year,  and  their  unadorned  infancy  should  be  passed  in  the  seclu- 
sion of  a  nursery  near  the  water  supply  in  the  kitchen  garden. 

In  July,  or  as  soon  as  some  early  crop  like  peas,  radishes, 
or  lettuce  has  been  gathered,  deeply  fork  the  ground  that  was 
well  enriched  in  the  spring,  and  thoroughly  rake  it  again  and 
again  to  pulverise  the  soil.  If  the  ground  be  heavy,  lighten  it 


204  The  American  Flower  Garden 

with  sand  and  rotted  sod  fibre  or  leaf-mould,  and  sift  soil  enough 
to  spread  over  the  top  of  the  bed  to  the  depth  of  one  inch.  Tender 
young  rootlets  cannot  push  their  way  through  clay  or  heavy  soil 
or  stones  as  they  are  so  often  expected  to  do.  The  seeds,  previously 
soaked,  should  be  shaken  up  lightly  in  a  little  earth  to  separate 
them,  and  then  sown  in  the  sifted  soil  at  a  depth  proportionate 
to  their  size  —  the  tiny  seeds  of  hardy  poppies,  for  example,  on 
the  surface  of  the  bed,  larger  ones  relatively  deeper.  Then  al 
must  be  pressed  down  firmly  with  a  board  or  the  palm  of  the 
hand  to  bring  the  earth  in  contact  with  the  first  hair-like  roots 
that  will  reach  out  in  search  of  food.  Probably  more  seeds  fai 
to  grow  through  having  air  spaces  around  them  than  from  any 
other  cause.  The  danger  is  lest  seeds,  however  carefully  planted, 
may  dry  out,  which  is  why  some  people  go  to  the  extra  trouble 
of  sowing  them  in  shallow  boxes  placed  on  their  piazza  floors 
where  they  can  sprinkle  them  with  a  whisk  broom  frequently 
rather  than  put  them  in  a  seed  bed  away  from  the  house  where 
they  may  be  forgotten.  Seedlings  started  in  boxes  will  need  to  be 
transplanted  to  the  open  ground  within  a  few  weeks. 

Every  evening,  when  there  has  been  no  rain,  the  bed  shoulc 
be  watered  through  a  fine  nozzle;  a  heavy  downpour  from  a  hose 
or  the  sprayless  spout  of  a  watering  can  would  wash  away  the 
soil  from  the  seedlings'  roots.  As  the  plants  increase  in  size  the 
nightly  watering  may  be  gradually  discontinued,  except  during 
drought,  if  the  surface  of  the  ground  be  kept  well  stirred  with  a 
hoe  between  waterings. 

Many  weeds  that  the  hoe  dare  not  touch  will  necessarily  be 
pulled  by  hand,  and  seedlings,  too,  if  you  have  made  the  usual 
mistake  of  sowing  too  many  seeds  to  the  foot.  Don't  crowd  the 
bed.  It  is  no  work  to  give  each  seedling  all  the  room  it  needs 


A  HAPPY  COLONY  OF  THE  CHRISTMAS  ROSE  (Helleborus  niger)  NATURALISED  IN  PARTIAL    SHADE 


Perennials  for  a  Thought-out  Garden          205 


at  the  outset,  and  it  is  some  work  to  transplant  it.  After  frost, 
cover  the  bed  with  coarse  stable  litter,  well  shaken  out,  or  autumn 
leaves  kept  from  blowing  off  by  criss-crossed  pea  brush  laid 
over  them.  The  thickness  of  the  blanket  will  depend  upon  the 
severity  of  the  climate.  If  manure  that  has  lost  its  heat  be  used 
for  protection  —  and  none  other  should  be  spread  —  see  that  it 
does  not  cover  the  crowns  of  foxgloves,  hollyhocks,  sweet  Williams 
or  other  plants  that  hold  their  leaves  all  winter,  for  it  will  cause 
them  to  decay.  Crown  rot  is  the  frequent  cause  of  failure  with 
these  plants  of  the  easiest  culture.  Established  plants  that  have 
successfully  weathered  their  second  summer  need  no  covering 
south  of  Washington. 

If  one  has  a  coldframe  to  start  seedlings  in  at  midsummer, 
so  much  the  better;  for  the  protection  of  the  sashes  in  winter 
insures  a  longer  period  of  growth  and  a  larger  crop  of  flowers 
the  next  season  in  consequence.  Young  plants,  started  in  late 
summer  and  compelled  to  endure  a  long  winter  in  the  open,  are 
not  likely  to  bloom  well  the  first  season,  which  is  why  people  who 
live  in  Canada  and  the  northern  tier  of  states,  and  who  have 
neither  coldframes  nor  hotbeds,  do  well  to  plant  their  biennials 
and  perennials  in  the  open  ground  as  soon  as  the  earth  dries  out 
and  becomes  warm  in  the  spring,  when,  however,  there  is  apt 
to  be  so  great  a  rush  of  other  work  that  the  seedlings'  simple 
but  insistent  wants  of  weeding  and  watering  cannot  always  be 
met.  If  they  are,  the  gardener  is  rewarded  by  a  crop  of  well- 
established,  vigorous  plants  when  the  long,  cold  northern  winter 
must  be  endured.  Some  growers  prefer  to  start  their  perennials 
in  a  hotbed  with  the  tomato  plants  and  tender  annuals  in  February 
or  March,  but  little  is  gained  by  the  two  months  of  extra  labour, 
as  very  few  will  bloom  the  first  summer  in  any  case. 


2o6  The  American  Flower  Garden 

Thinning  out  and  transplanting  seedlings  should  be  done  in 
the  late  afternoon  or  on  a  cloudy  day.  Always  water  them  before 
and  after  moving.  Baby  plants  become  the  objects  of  one's  keen- 
est concern.  They  are  the  pets  of  a  place.  Their  sturdy  growth 

is  a  matter  to  boast  about.    When  a  new  garden  is  to  be  filled 

• 

most  economically,  when  bare  spots  in  the  border  need  beautify- 
ing, when  you  want  to  give  a  friend  some  of  your  favourite  plants, 
when  there  is  a  chance  to  secure  from  a  neighbour  some  coveted 
new  perennial  in  exchange  for  a  few  seedlings,  how  joyfully  you 
seize  a  trowel  and  lift  the  big,  healthy  youngsters  into  a  baske 
with  something  akin  to  parental  pride!     Miss  Mitford  was  not  th< 
only  one  to  delight  in  having  "a  flower  in  a  friend's  garden.' 
A  young  amateur  grew  over  two  hundred  lusty  plants  of  exquis 
ite  tall  white  columbine  from  seed  stalks  that  had  been  cut  to  b 
thrown  away  in  a  neighbour's  border.     The  same  quantity  of  les 
sturdy  and  fresh  plants,  if  bought  from  a  commercial  dealer  whc 
had  not  only  to  grow,  but  to  catalogue,  advertise  and  pack  them 
would  be  cheap  at  fifteen  dollars.     For  the  best  effects  in  peren 
nial  planting  one  needs  a  quantity  of  each  kind  of  choice  plant 
rather  than  a  sample  of  many  inferior  kinds. 

Well-stocked  gardens  need  thinning  out  every  year  if  the 
plants  are  not  to  choke  one  another  to  death.  Degeneracy  and 
death  ensue  in  a  miser's  garden.  Perennials  conduce  to  friend- 
liness. There  is  often  a  chance  to  almost  stock  a  new  border 
from  the  overflow  from  an  old  one  in  the  neighbourhood;  and, 
usually,  the  owner  is  only  too  glad  to  find  an  appreciative  recipient. 
No  matter  how  rampant  one's  sweet  Williams  or  coreopsis  become, 
who  can  bear  to  consign  their  multitudinous  offspring  to  the 
compost  heap?  By  dividing  with  a  sharp  spade  the  roots  ol 
peonies,  irises,  violets,  lilies-of-the-valley  and  other  plants  that 


Perennials  for  a  Thought-out  Garden          207 

are  resting  in  August,  and  the  roots  of  phlox,  rudbeckia,  golden 
glow,  the  pearl,  day  primroses,  pentstemons,  boltonia,  day-lilies, 
bee  balm,  chrysanthemums,  Japanese  anemones,  and  other  plants 
that  grow  in  clumps  as  soon  as  they  show  above  ground  in  the 
spring,  there  is  little  danger  of  checking  their  bloom;  and  by 
lifting  some  of  the  self-sown  seedlings  of  foxgloves,  Canterbury 
bells  —  two  indispensable  biennials  that  give  a  charm  to  any 
garden  —  of  gaillardia,  hollyhocks,  anemones,  Oriental  poppies, 
coreopsis,  and  columbines,  one  may  benefit  immeasurably  a  well- 
established  garden  while  giving  away  plants  enough  to  stock 
another.  Fill  in  all  cavities  from  which  roots  have  been  lifted 
with  fresh  soil  made  extra  rich  with  well-rotted  black  manure. 
The  pit  back  of  the  cow  barn  is  the  best  one  to  rob  for  the  flower 
garden.  Plants  given  away  are  never  missed,  for  what  are  left 
show  their  relief  from  crowding  by  greatly  increased  vigour.  Some 
gardeners  advocate  lifting  all  perennials  every  four  years,  carting 
away  the  exhausted  soil  in  which  they  grew,  and  replacing  it 
with  fresh  earth  heavily  enriched  in  which  to  reset  them.  So 
great  a  labour  is  quite  unnecessary  if  the  bed  has  been  deeply 
and  thoroughly  prepared  in  the  first  place,  and  if  one  will  be 
generous  annually,  or  even  every  two  years. 

Perennials,  as  a  rule,  are  such  gross  feeders  that  they  soon 
extract  the  available  food  within  their  area.  Phloxes  and 
peonies,  especially,  must  be  either  lifted  into  replenished  earth  every 
four  or  five  years  or  be  liberally  fed  annually.  The  practice 
of  spading  or  forking  in  the  manure  that  has  covered  a  garden  all 
winter  as  soon  as  growth  starts  in  early  spring  is  responsible 
for  a  deplorable  loss  of  or  injury  to  cherished  plants.  Never  be 
guilty  of  it.  Some  forgotten  treasures  not  yet  started  are  sure 
to  be  buried;  others,  with  brittle  new  shoots  like  ferns,  bleeding- 


2o8  The  American  Flower  Garden 

heart  and  peonies,  to  be  broken,  and  countless  insignificant 
seedlings  to  be  sacrificed.  Lightly  lift  off  the  coarser  cover  from 
the  plants  on  a  dull,  flat  potato  fork,  leaving  on  only  the  fine, 
short  part  of  the  manure.  Most  of  the  substance  washes  away 
into  the  soil.  Plants  will  quickly  push  their  way  through  what 
is  not  dissolved  by  rain  and  overspread  it  until  it  is  quite  con- 
cealed. The  light  mulch  is  found  to  be  beneficial  when  hot, 
dry  weather  comes.  In  June,  after  all  the  plants  are  well  above 
ground,  some  voracious  ones  may  require  a  trowelful  of  coarse, 
slowly  soluble  bone  meal  mixed  through  the  soil  about  them, 
or  a  few  draughts  of  weak  liquid  manure  just  before  blooming 
time.  When  perennials  are  covered  in  winter  with  litter  or  leaves 
which  supply  no  food,  it  is  well  to  lightly  fork  in  some  very  old 
short  manure  about  the  roots,  where  they  will  not  come  immedi- 
ately in  contact  with  it,  after  all  the  plants  are  up  in  late  spring. 

During  prolonged  drought,  when  it  would  be  impracticable 
to  soak  the  whole  garden  at  one  time,  divide  it  into  sections  and 
thoroughly  water  one  of  them  each  evening  at  sundown.  It  is 
better  to  give  every  plant  a  deep,  satisfying  drink  once  a  week 
than  to  sprinkle  them  all  every  night.  Sprinkling  encourages 
roots  to  form  near  the  surface  where  they  are  likely  to  bake.  A 
plant  should  be  induced  to  root  deeply  and  so  become  drought 
resistant.  Plants  like  Japanese  irises,  larkspurs,  chrysanthemums, 
Canterbury  bells,  meadow  rue,  mallows,  ferns,  and  superbum 
lilies  probably  never  get  all  the  water  they  really  need  for  their 
best  development  in  our  sun-baked,  torrid  gardens.  Feeding 
and  watering  are  the  essentials  of  success  with  perennials. 

Where  shall  they  be  planted?  Everywhere!  Imitate  nature 
and  "paint  the  meadows  with  delight "  if  you  have  no  garden. 
Parkinson  societies  are  greatly  needed  in  our  new  land  to  beautify 


Perennials  for  a  Thought-out  Garden  209 

raw  roadsides  and  waste  places.  The  old-fashioned  garden, 
now  happily  in  vogue  again,  is  composed  almost  exclusively  of 
hardy  perennials.  Its  box-edged  parterres  overflow  with  them. 
Even  the  modern  formal  garden  fittingly  employs  such  plants  as 
hollyhocks,  foxgloves,  larkspurs,  Canterbury  bells  and  lilies, 
whose  tall,  straight  spires  of  bloom  repeat  the  lines  of  pillared 
porch  and  pergola.  It  needs  a  more  riotous  profusion  of  growth 
and  bloom  in  it  to  soften  the  architectural  severity  that  is  usually 
too  apparent.  But,  generally  speaking,  perennials  are  informal 
in  character,  and  many  kinds  are  better  adapted  to  naturalistic 
than  to  formal  treatment. 

Plants  of  especially  coarse  or  vigorous  habit  like  the  hardy 
sunflowers,  golden  glow,  boltonia,  day  primroses,  orange  day 
lilies  and  hollyhocks,  are  often  set  out  in  bold  masses  among 
the  shrubbery  where,  for  a  time,  they  are  strikingly  effective. 
Their  flowers,  which  appear  after  the  shrubs  have  finished  bloom- 
ing, keep  the  shrubbery  gay  until  frost.  But  shrubs  and  peren- 
nials, both  voracious,  soon  deplete  the  soil,  and  unless  an  extra 
amount  of  food  be  supplied,  both  deteriorate.  Nevertheless  it 
would  be  a  thousand  pities  never  to  use  them  together.  Shrubs 
are  so  dark  and  rich  a  foil  for  flowers  blooming  earlier  or  later 
than  they,  that  they  make  a  most  effective  background,  especially 
when  used  to  take  off  the  curse  from  an  enclosing  fence  on  a 
suburban  plot  or  to  partially  border  a  lawn.  Do  not  place  the 
shrubs  in  a  straight  line  at  the  back  of  the  border  only,  but  in 
dense  and  light  groups,  some  of  the  lower  kinds  running  out  to 
the  front  of  the  irregular  edge  of  the  border  and  flush  with  it, 
some  receding  almost  to  the  fence,  and  so  giving  variety  of  setting 
and  exposure  to  the  perennial  flowers  in  the  graceful,  sinuous 
outlines  of  the  tall  and  low  shrubbery.  The  green  wall  of  a 


210 


The  American  Flower  Garden 


sheared  privet  or  evergreen  hedge  also  admirably  displays  gay 
flowers  sharply  contrasted  against  it;  formal  gardens  are  frequently 
enclosed  by  such  a  border.  But  from  the  cultural  view-point  the 
planting  of  perennials  next  shrubs  and  hedges  is  not  desirable 
unless  the  roots  of  the  stronger  can  be  prevented  from  trespassing 
upon  the  weaker's  preserves.  English  gardeners,  to  whom  the 
mixed  border  is  indispensable,  sink  planks  in  the  earth  as  a  parti- 
tion; yet,  in  a  land  where  lumber  is  costly,  a  narrow  trench  filled 
in  with  coal  ashes  is  quite  as  discouraging  a  barrier  to  pilfering 
roots.  If  no  obstruction  be  put  in  the  way  of  them,  only  the  most 
vigorous  perennials  should  be  left  to  struggle  fiercely  for  survival 
with  the  shrubs.  Properly  partitioned,  almost  any  perennials 
you  please  may  be  grown  in  a  mixed  border,  but  pray  not  a  large 
assortment  dotted  about  in  a  meaningless  way!  The  border  is 
usually  viewed  from  a  distance  and  bold  masses  of  one  kind  of 
flower  in  a  given  area  are  most  effective.  Indeed,  no  plant  appears 
at  its  best  unless  given  adequate  space  to  display  its  charms  either 
between  or  in  front  of  the  shrubs.  Scattered  about  with  no 
relation  to  the  height,  foliage  and  colour  of  their  surroundings, 
perennials  can  be  more  distracting  than  delightful  in  mixed 
borders. 

Whoever  thinks  it  a  simple  matter  to  plan  an  artistic,  hardy 
border  that  will  contain  masses  of  harmonious  bloom  from  early 
spring  until  late  frost  with  no  clash  of  colour  in  it  at  any  time,  no 
bare  spaces,  no  untidy  tangled  effects,  no  confusion  of  dissimilar 
foliage,  no  spotty  groups  not  blended  with  their  surroundings, 
can  never  have  tried  to  make  one.  Because  it  is  one  of  the  most 
difficult  garden  feats  attempted,  albeit  the  first  one  the  novice 
is  apt  to  try  his  'prentice  hand  upon,  we  rarely  see  thoroughly  sat- 
isfying perennial  planting.  The  border  is  too  often  regarded  as 


W    fa 

>  o 


co   H 

£& 

a: 


sg 

33 

co    < 

«s 

O   g 


W    M 

53  M 
H   £ 


H-l       [7 

W    W 


4y 

4 


^«r«i 


Will 

•<fN%MJf^ 


4«iA 


*  *.*. 


^%*i 


^ 


~  d  Q 


u  **• 

w   O 

— 


j    W    W 

-So 

£»" 

H   0c  M 

si" 


W 


Q  ^ 

"  >H 

§  ^ 

<  ° 

rt  53 

eg  «  d 

<  w  o 


fBd 

fc«5| 

M    S    P^ 

Ms 

I«S 

!>   £•   <; 

:^ 
gig 
§SH 

w 

CO         HJ         fTl 

eJ  «  $ 

IH 

"Is 

^3 

„  o 

co   o    j 

"   S5   M 


w  53 
H   U 

S5  2 


Perennials  for  a  Thought-out  Garden          211 

a  catch-all  for  hardy  plants.  Favourites  are  set  out  side  by  side 
with  little  reference  to  their  effect  in  the  composition  as  a  whole. 
Miscellaneous  mixtures  suggesting  a  crazy-quilt  are  the  models 
that  everywhere  greet  the  eye.  A  woman  with  such  dazzling 
daubs  of  colour  in  her  parlour  would  go  distracted.  Proportion, 
form  and  colour  need  to  be  as  carefully  considered  as  in  painting 
a  picture  on  canvas  when  one  plants  for  permanence. 

The  intricacies  of  planting  perennials  so  as  to  get  the  most 
lovely  effects  from  them  require  exhaustive  study  for  each  place; 
but  there  are  certain  self-evident  propositions  which  perhaps 
may  be  helpful  to  the  inexperienced  amateur: 

When  perennials  only  are  used  to  border  a  path  or  to  frame 
a  little  lawn,  set  the  tallest  ones  at  the  back  in  an  undulating 
line,  and  let  the  height  of  the  plants  gradually  diminish  toward 
the  front  until  the  fringed  pinks,  creeping  phlox,  candytuft,  arabis, 
saxifrage,  Russian  violets  and  other  low  growers  form  the  irregular 
flowing  edge.  Occasionally  let  a  phalanx  of  irises  or  other  taller 
plants  run  out  to  the  edge  of  the  border  to  relieve  its  flatness. 

Use  billowy  masses  of  one  kind  of  plant  or  colour  to  give 
dignity  to  the  planting,  but  be  careful  not  to  have  them  so  large 
as  to  be  wearisome.  However,  the  tendency  is  just  the  reverse, 
and  the  effect  of  many  small  groups  is  scarcely  as  reposeful  as 
a  garden  should  be.  When  a  long  border  along  a  path  or  drive 
is  most  often  seen  from  end  to  end,  the  foreshortening  of  the 
masses  requires  that  they  be  given  an  extra  breadth.  In  any 
case,  longish  drifts  of  planting  are  preferable  to  roundish  spots. 
Happily,  perennials  soon  spread  into  irregular,  flowing  groups 
preferable  to  any  that  the  hand  of  man  can  form.  Groups  with 
harmonious  flowers  may  have  foliage  that  necessitates  their  separa- 
tion. For  example,  Japanese  eulalia  and  similar  tall  grasses 


212 


The  American  Flower  Garden 


look  well  with  hardy  bamboos  and  poker  plants,  but  out  of  place 
next  low-growing,  broad-leaved  day  lilies. 

Try  to  have  no  more  than  two  or,  at  the  most,  three,  har- 
monious colours  flowering  in  the  perennial  border  at  one  time. 
Many  shades  of  the  same  colour  may  be  introduced  for  variety. 
Harmony  is  always  more  desirable  than  sharp  contrasts.  It 
saves  trouble  and  clashing  to  group  together  in  the  same  section 
of  the  bed  plants  whose  flowers  are  of  approximately  the  same 
colour,  and  so  chosen  as  to  follow  each  other  in  an  overlapping 
succession  throughout  the  season.  For  instance,  a  yellow  and 
white  section  might  begin  its  display  with  snowdrops,  crocuses, 
tulips,  daffodils  and  narcissus,  arabis,  yellow  alyssum  and  white 
creeping  phlox  in  the  low  foreground;  continue  with  the  gray- 
white  Florentine  and  yellow  irises,  columbines,  candytuft,  peonies, 
yellow  brier  and  white  rugosa  roses,  foxgloves,  garden  heliotrope, 
hollyhocks,  coreopsis,  day  primroses,  the  pearl,  white,  lemon 
and  orange  day-lilies,  Shasta  daisies,  phlox,  meadow  rue,  and  so 
on  through  the  rudbeckias,  sunflowers,  boltonia  and  golden  glow 
of  late  summer  to  the  chrysanthemums  and  Japanese  anemones 
of  autumn.  The  yellow  might  be  intensified  to  orange  and  flame 
with  Oriental  poppies,  lychnis,  butterfly  weed  and  poker  plant  if 
one  desires  to  pass  by  gradual  transition  to  a  scarlet,  red  and 
crimson  section.  Or,  all  the  stronger  tones  may  be  omitted,  and 
paler  yellows  only  retained  with  the  cold  whites  that  lead  by  easy 
transition  to  blue,  lilac  and  purple  flowers  if  there  are  no  pink 
or  red  ones  blooming  in  any  part  of  the  border  at  the  same  time. 

From  the  early  pink  creeping  phlox  and  tulips  of  April  to  the 
tree  and  herbaceous  peonies  of  May,  the  damask  roses,  pink  poppies 
and  pyrethrums  of  June,  the  mallows,  hollyhocks,  and  phloxes 
of  July,  and  so  on  to  the  late  pink  chrysanthemums,  is  a  lovely 


Perennials  for  a  Thought-out  Garden          213 

progression,  too,  when  one  may  run  up  the  scale  through  crimsons 
to  the  dark,  velvety  carnation,  sweet  Williams  and  herbaceous 
peonies  of  richer  hue  than  Jacqueminot  roses,  or  down  to  the 
pinkish  gray-white  of  garden  heliotrope  (Valerian)  and  the  warm 
white  of  the  fleecy  meadow  sweet,  fraxinella  and  immortelle. 

Or,  the  border  may  have  a  complete  change  of  color  every 
month  or  six  weeks,  as  when  a  pink  phase  succeeds  a  blue  one; 
but  this  is  difficult  to  manage  because  of  the  perversity  of  plants. 
The  larkspurs  unexpectedly  prolong  their  bloom  because  of 
cool  weather  and  frequent  rains,  perhaps,  whereas  they  should 
have  given  place  in  early  July  to  rosy  hollyhocks  that  marshal  in 
the  pink  group  which,  in  turn,  may  linger  long  enough  to  swear 
at  its  successor.  However,  cutting  off  the  larkspur  spires  merely 
insures  a  second  crop  of  flowers  in  the  fall;  nipping  the  heads  off 
phloxes  that  may  rush  inopportunely  into  bloom  insures  flowers 
from  the  lateral  shoots  when  they  are  wanted.  Companion  crops 
have  undeniable  fascinations.  Each  gardener  has  some  pet  com- 
bination. One  will  plant  blue  spirea  to  conceal  the  rusty 
peonies  that  dry  off  in  the  fall;  another  will  hide  the  long  shanks 
of  his  crown  imperials  behind  Shasta  daisies.  Canterbury  bells 
swing  where  columbines  lately  were  in  another  garden.  Chrysan- 
themums conceal  the  downfall  of  pentstemons  and  monkshood. 

Another  way  to  secure  harmony  in  a  garden  is  to  devote 
certain  spaces  in  it  to  certain  seasons  —  one  part  of  the  home 
grounds  for  spring  bulbs  and  plants,  one  for  early  summer  effects, 
one  that  shall  be  bright  during  the  drought  and  dog-days  of  mid- 
summer, and  another  section  for  autumn.  Indeed,  one  authority 
declares  it  to  be  the  only  way  to  secure  the  finest  effects,  arguing 
that  if  a  given  area  be  expected  to  produce  flowers  from  early 
spring  to  late  frost  there  are  sure  to  be  flowerless  spaces  in  it 


214  The  American  Flower  Garden 

much  of  the  time,  and  that  such  plants  as  are  in  bloom  will  look 
like  isolated  patches  of  colour  among  the  foliage.  The  plan  has 
advantages  for  people  who  live  in  the  country  for  only  a  few 
months,  when  a  garden  might  be  planned  to  put  forth  concen- 
trated loveliness  then.  It  certainly  is  unreasonable  to  expect  a 
plant  to  bloom  longer  than  three  months;  some  reward  our  pains 
for  not  more  than  as  many  weeks;  but  masses  of  clean,  healthy 
foliage  are  not  objectionable,  surely,  and  the  flowers  need  not 
look  spotty  if  secondary  tints  are  grouped  around  stronger  colours 
and  the  whole  toned  down  with  synchronous  plants.  For 
example,  a  long  mass  of  flowers  that  run  the  gamut  from  deep 
purples  to  pale  blues  had  around  its  flowing  outlines  the  common 
catmint,  whose  cool,  grayish  foliage  made  an  easy  transition  to 
the  greens  in  the  herbaceous  border.  Green  often  divides  groups, 
it  is  true,  but  isolation  is  precisely  what  is  needed  in  many  cases. 
Even  screamingly  opposed  colours  are  rendered  inoffensive  by 
broad  green  stretches  between  them,  although  it  is  sometimes 
better  art  to  tone  them  down  with  the  weaker  secondary  tints 
of  the  same  colour  until  they  gradually  merge  into  the  neutral 
ground  of  green  or  white. 

White  is  the  great  peacemaker  among  warring  flowers.  Blue 
lengthens  distance  and  adds  depth  to  shadows,  just  as  yellow, 
on  the  contrary,  foreshortens  the  garden  picture.  Bright  red 
is  always  an  exclamation  point;  it  punctuates  space  and  defines 
its  own  position  so  insistently  that  the  usual  devices  of  grouping 
secondary  tints  about  it  to  bring  it  down  to  the  colour  scale  of  its 
neighbours  is  not  often  successful.  Usually  it  needs  isolation  to 
reveal  its  splendour.  The  brilliant  scarlet  of  Oriental  poppies, 
for  instance,  is  sure  to  clash  with  the  contemporary  June  roses 
and  pink  peonies,  or  to  totally  eclipse  other  flowers.  War  rages 


Perennials  for  a  Thought-out  Garden          215 

where  all  should  be  peace.  But  planted  in  the  foreground  of  a 
copse,  a  mass  of  dwarf  evergreens  or  a  border  of  shrubbery  not  in 
bloom,  how  glorious  the  great  poppies  are!  Another  special- 
purpose  plant  is  the  cardinal  flower,  now  tamed  by  the  commercial 
dealer  who  sells  its  easily  grown  seed.  Pitifully  out  of  place 
among  the  host  of  garden  flowers,  its  vivid  beauty  is  best  displayed 
in  nature's  garden,  where  it  rises  beside  a  stream  that  reflects 
it  like  a  mirror.  Here  it  gives  one  a  keener  prick  of  pleasure 
than  in  any  other  setting.  Association  counts  for  much.  Fox- 
gloves are  charming  garden  flowers,  yet  the  best  effect  produced  with 
them  that  I  ever  saw  was  where  a  great  group  of  their  white  spires 
ascended  in  the  foreground  of  a  vista  through  deep  woods.  Some 
stumps  had  been  grubbed  out,  and  the  owner  of  the  place  had 
sprinkled  foxglove  seeds  from  the  garden,  which  he  promptly 
forgot.  Two  years  later  he  happened  upon  them  unexpectedly 
and  was  overjoyed  at  the  sight.  What  he  called  "a  happy  acci- 
dent" was,  of  course,  no  accident  at  all,  for  unconsciously,  perhaps, 
the  picture  had  flashed  on  his  inner  eye  before  he  dropped  a  seed 
into  the  earth.  Lupines  are  especially  effective  when  massed 
apart  in  large  groups  in  a  setting  of  rich,  dark  green  foliage. 
Indeed,  many  lovely  perennials  that  would  not  bear  neglect 
through  naturalising,  may  be  cultivated  in  a  naturalistic  way 
where  their  effect  is  apt  to  be  far  more  artistic  than  in  a  garden. 
Everywhere  perennials  are  the  artist's  flowers  and  are  used 
by  him  as  colours  are  on  a  palette  to  make  a  picture.  We  have 
been  wont  to  mistake  the  daubs  on  the  palette — a  lot  of  unassorted 
colours  set  out  in  a  meaningless  way  —  for  the  picture  itself. 
Flowers  may  be  left  to  jar  the  nerves  of  the  sensitive  or  so  arranged 
as  to  produce  constantly  changing  visions  of  beauty.  "It  seems 
to  me,"  says  Miss  Jekyll,  "that  the  duty  we  owe  to  our  gardens 


2i 6  The  American  Flower  Garden 

and  to  our  own  bettering  in  our  gardens  is  so  to  use  the  plants  that 
they  shall  form  beautiful  pictures;  and  that,  while  delighting  our 
eyes,  they  should  be  always  training  those  eyes  to  a  more  exalted 
criticism;  to  a  state  of  mind  and  artistic  conscience  that  will  not 
tolerate  bad  or  careless  combination  or  any  sort  of  misuse  of 
plants,  but  in  which  it  becomes  a  point  of  honour  to  be  always 
striving  for  the  best.  It  is  just  in  the  way  it  is  done  that  lies  the 
whole  difference  between  commonplace  gardening  and  gardening 
that  may  rightly  claim  to  rank  as  a  fine  art." 

PERENNIALS   FOR  THE   HERBACEOUS  BORDER 

Plants  marked  (*)  thus  are  suitable  for  situations  surrounding  the  water  garden. 
NOTE. — The  date  of  flowering  given  is  that  for  the  neighbourhood  of  New  York,  and 
will  of  course  vary,  earlier  to  the  South,  later  to  the  North,  in  most  cases. 

ACONITE,  AUTUMN  (Aconitum  autumnale).  Blue,  lilac,  whitish.  Sep- 
tember to  November;  3  to  5  feet.  Valuable  as  a  successor  to  the 
aconite  or  monkshood,  which  flowers  earlier.  Flowers  not  so  open. 
Of  easiest  cultivation,  thriving  under  same  conditions  as  monkshood. 

ADONIS  (Adonis  Amurensis,  A.  Davurica).  Yellow.  March;  I  foot. 
Earliest  flowering,  long-lived  spring-blooming  perennial,  easily  grown 
in  full  sunshine.  Plant  early  (March  I5th),  or  early  September, 
or  get  pot-grown  plants. 

ALUM  ROOT.    See  CORAL  BELLS. 

ANEMONE,  JAPANESE  (Anemone  Japonicd).  Rose,  white.  September 
to  October;  2  to  4  feet.  More  and  larger  flowers  in  late  September 
than  any  other  perennial.  Blooms  until  hard  freeze.  Flowers 
2  to  3  inches  across.  Best  in  partial  shade,  in  cool,  loose,  moist  and 
rich  soil.  Cover  in  winter.  Generally  dies  if  transplanted  in  fall. 
Single,  double  and  semi-double  named  varieties. 

BABY'S  BREATH  (Gypsophila  paniculata).  White.  June,  July;  2  to  3 
feet.  Very  numerous  minute  flowers  borne  on  a  gracefully  branched 
feathery  stalk.  Excellent  for  cutting  and  for  giving  lightness  to  other 
cut  flowers,  and  for  giving  mist-like  effects  in  borders.  Fairly  dry, 
open  places,  also  good  for  rockeries.  Cut  stalks  may  be  dried  and 
used  all  winter. 


Perennials  for  a  Thought-out  Garden          217 

BALLOON  FLOWER  (Platycodon  grandifloruni).  Blue,  purple,  white. 
July  to  October;  I  to  3  feet.  Largest  bell-flower  that  can  be  easily 
grown.  Flowers  3  inches  across.  Stake  early,  and  don't  cut  stems 
in  fall.  Give  good  drainage.  Divide  early  in  spring  when  growth 
starts. 

:BALM,  BEE.  OSWEGO  TEA,  INDIAN  PLUMES  (Monarda  didyma).  Scarlet 
August;  ^\  feet.  More  red  flowers  than  any  other  herb.  As  easy 
to  multiply  as  mint.  Grand  for  massing  in  woods,  or  on  sunny 
streams'  sides.  Attracts  humming-birds.  Fragrant  foliage. 

:BALM,  MOLDAVIAN  (Dracocephalum  Moldavicum).  Blue.  August, 
September;  2  feet.  Labiate  flowers  in  whorls  at  intervals  in  long 
racemes.  Do  not  plant  in  dry  soils  fully  exposed  to  sunshine; 
does  best  in  moderately  rich,  sandy  loam,  moist  and  shaded.  Flowers 
small  and  soon  fade.  Increase  by  seeds  or  division. 

'BEARD  TONGUE  (Pentstemon  barbatus).  Light  pink  to  carmine. 
June  to  August;  3  feet.  Flowers  I  inch  long,  borne  in  a  loose, 
slender,  foxglove-like  inflorescence.  Very  beautiful  in  mass  effect, 
but  trivial  otherwise.  One  of  the  best  native  perennials,  growing  in 

any  garden  soil. ,  BLUE  (P.  diffusus).  June,  July;  2  feet.  Similar, 

but  with  bluish  purple  flowers.  Several  other^species  also  in  cultiva- 
tion.   (P.  deustus).  Has  pale  yellow  flowers. (P.  Cobaa.) 

Purple  to  white.  Parent  of  numerous  garden  forms  in  many  colours. 
BEGONIA,  HARDY  (Begonia  Evansiana).  Rose  pink.  June  to  August;  2 
feet.  Showy  red  stems  and  under  side  of  leaf,  which  is  green 
above.  Flowers  very  freely,  and  multiplies  by  bulblets  or  tubers. 
Hardy  on  Long  Island,  in  light,  well-drained  soil  with  humus,  and 
easily  grown  anywhere  with  light  winter  protection.  Worth  more 
general  cultivation. 

•ELLFLOWER,  CARPATHIAN  (Campanula  Carpatica).  Blue.  June, 
July,  and  scattering  later  on;  I  to  ij  feet.  Easiest  to  grow,  and 
most  permanent  low-growing  member  of  the  bellflower  family. 
Only  bellflower  that  gives  bloom  ail  the  autumn.  Sow  in  spring 

in  good,  rich  soil  and  give  protection  in  winter.  , 

HAIRY  (C.  Trac helium).  Purple  or  blue  flowers  less  than  one 
inch  long.  Lingers  about  deserted  homesteads.  Rough  of  leaf 
and  unrefined  in  colour.  Blue  form  is  the  best. ,  PEACH- 
LEAVED  (C.  persic&folia).  Blue  or  white.  Flowers  2  inches  wide, 
1 1  inches  long,  and  very  characteristic  leaves.  Mid- June;  2  to  3 


2i8  The  American  Flower  Garden 

feet.  The  most  beautiful  of  the  old  perennial  bellflowers,  and  the 
next  to  the  biennial  Canterbury  bells  (see  OLD-FASHIONED  FLOWERS, 

p.  57)  in  size  of  flower.  ,  WIDE-LEAVED  (C.  latifolid).  Purple 

or  dark-blue  loose  raceme  about  8  inches  long,  containing  8  to  15 
very  large  (2^  inches  long)  flowers.  Largest  and  coarsest  leaves. 
See  also  BALLOON  FLOWER. 

BLANKET  FLOWER  (Gaillardia  aristata).  Red,  yellow.  July  to  October; 
3  to  5  feet.  The  very  gay,  daisy-like  flowers  last  throughout  summer 
if  no  seed  forms.  The  only  double-flowered  variety  is  splendidissima 
plena.  Best  yellow  is  Kelway's  King,  even  the  disc  being  yellow. 
More  flowers  for  cutting  than  any  other  hardy  perennial.  Drought 
and  frost  resister.  Cut  flowers  as  fast  as  they  fade.  Cover  plants 
with  litter  after  ground  is  frozen.  Often  grown  as  an  annual. 

*BLEEDING  HEART  (Dicentra  spectabilis).  Pink;  i|  feet.  Early  May. 
Heart-shaped  flowers  on  long,  gracefully  arching  sprays;  long-lived. 
Often  catalogued  as  Dielytra  or  Diclytra.  Rich,  moist  soil  preferred. 
Fragile  looking,  but  quite  hardy. 

BOLTONIA.     See  FALSE  CHAMOMILE,  NATIVE  PLANTS,  p.  89. 

BUGLE  (Ajuga  reptans).  Creeper,  with  blue  flowers  in  May.  One  of 
the  best  carpeting  plants.  Mint  family.  Dark-leaved  forms  best. 

,  GENEVA  (A.  Genevensis).  May.  Cheapest  and  showiest 

spring-blooming,  blue-flowered  plant  for.  carpeting.  Fine  for  dry 
places,  and  for  shady  situations,  where  grass  will  not  grow. 

CAMPANULA.     See  BELLFLOWER. 

CANDYTUFT.     See  OLD-FASHIONED  FLOWERS,  p.  57. 

CARDINAL  FLOWER.     See  NATIVE  PLANTS,  p.  90. 

CATCHFLY,  GERMAN  (Lychnis  Viscarid).  Red,  white.  May,  June;  6  to 
20  inches.  One  of  the  best  hardy  perennials,  growing  in  all  soils. 
Profuse  bloomer  in  sunny  places.  The  small  flowers  are  massed 
into  a  sort  of  head.  Name  comes  from  the  sticky  patches  below 
the  flower  clusters,  which  often  catch  ants  and  crawling  insects. 
Many  varieties  in  various  shades.  See  also  LONDON  PRIDE,  p.  64. 

CHAMOMILE  (Anthemis  tmctoria).  Yellow.  June  to  frost;  2  feet. 
Finely  cut,  dark-green  foliage  and  immense  quantities  of  golden- 
yellow,  daisy-like  flowers,  I  inch  across.  Good  for  cutting,  but 
has  strong,  pungent  odour  of  wormwood.  Grows  well  in  poorest  soil. 
,  DOUBLE  SCENTLESS  (Matricaria  indora,  var.  plenissimd). 


Perennials  for  a  Thought-out  Garden          219 

White.  June  to  September;  ij  feet.  White  buttons  in  loosely 
branched  panicles.  Very  pretty  growing  or  cut.  Best  free-flower- 
ing white  flower  of  summer. ,  FALSE  (Boltonia  latisquama). 

See  NATIVE  PLANTS,  p.  89. 

CHRISTMAS  ROSE  (Helleborus  niger).  White,  fading  pinkish.  Decem- 
ber, January;  I  foot.  The  only  permanent  border  plant  with  ever- 
green foliage  that  flowers  in  winter  —  blooming  even  under  the 
snow.  Plant  near  the  house  where  it  can  be  seen.  Get  old,  estab- 
lished stock  in  September.  Often  takes  some  time  to  become 
settled,  not  flowering  well  till  the  second  or  third  year.  Moist 
well-drained,  rather  open  soil,  in  partial  shade.  Cut  flowers  make 
excellent  table  decorations  if  taken  young;  they  become  speckled 
with  age.  Individual  flowers  2  inches  across.  Foliage  very  dark. 
Var.  altifolius  is  the  earliest  flowering. 

CHRYSANTHEMUM,  HARDY  (C.  Indicum  and  morifolium).  Practically 
all  colours  except  blue  and  scarlet.  September  to  November;  2  to  3 
feet.  Unquestionably  the  most  important  late-blooming  plants  of 
the  garden,  flowering  profusely  till  frost.  Always  plant  in  spring; 
cuttings  can  be  made  from  growing  shoots  all  the  year.  (See  OLD- 
FASHIONED  FLOWERS,  p.  57.)  Great  diversity  of  form,  but  ranging 
into  several  well-defined  types :  (a)  Single,  resembling  a  daisy,  with 
rays  surrounding  a  conspicuous  disc.  Excellent  for  cutting.  Mary 
Anderson  is  a  popular  kind,  (b)  Double  quilled,  with  rosette 
of  involute  petals.  Example,  Little  Bob.  (c)  Double,  with 
expanded  rays.  Example,  Sceur  Melaine.  (d)  Anemone-flowered. 
Like  the  single,  but  with  tubular  disc  florets,  much  enlarged,  form- 
ing a  distinct  cushion.  Not  offered  by  name  in  the  American  trade. 
(e)  Reflexed.  Double,  with  flat  rays  distinctly  arched  back  toward 
the  stalk.  Example,  Jules  Lagravere.  The  large-flowered  chrysan- 
themums, usually  grown  in  greenhouses,  are  similarly  classified, 
most  popular  types  being:  (a)  Incurved.  Long  petals  regularly 
curved  toward  the  centre.  Example,  Colonel  D.  Appleton.  (b)  Jap- 
anese. Long  petals,  variously  formed.  Loosely  and  irregularly 
twisted  more  or  less.  The  most  popular  decorative  kinds.  Exam- 
ples, Golden  Wedding,  Glory  of  the  Pacific,  Madam  Carnot. 
(r)  Reflexed.  Very  rarely  grown.  Example,  Cullingfordi.  (</)  Large 
anemone.  Well-developed  tubular  disc  florets,  surrounded  by  ex- 
panded ray  florets.  Example,  Garza. 


220  The  American  Flower  Garden 

CLEMATIS,  AROMATIC  (Clematis  aromatic  a).  Deep  violet-blue.  Jul 
to  September.  Solitary,  fragrant  flowers,  ij  to  2  inches  across 
Grows  4  feet  high,  or  6  feet  if  supported.  — ,  BLUE  BUSH  (( 

integrifolia).     Blue,    purple,    or  white.     June    to    August;    2    ft 
Solitary  blue  flowers  J  inch  long,  covering  bush  2  feet  high.     Vai 
Durandi  taller,   and    has    longer    flowers    with    recurved    sepals. 

,  DAVID'S     (C.    heraclece  folia,    var.     Davidiana).     Pale    blue. 

August,  September;  4  feet,  but  needs  support.  Flowers  in  clustered 
heads  6  to  15,  and  also  singly.  Larger  leaves  than  any  other  cul- 
tivated clematis.  ,  WHITE  BUSH  (C.  recta).  White.  June 

to  August.  Fragrant  flowers  I  inch  across  in  dense  corymbs. 
Plant  2  to  3  feet  long,  not  climbing.  The  common  bush  clematis 
of  Southern  Europe.  There  is  also  a  double  form.  Give  deep, 
loamy  soil,  fairly  rich.  They  are  susceptible  to  injury  by  drought, 
and  need  water  in  summer.  A  little  lime  in  the  soil  is  an  advantage. 
On  dry,  hot  soils  use  cow  manure,  but  on  heavy  soils  use  leaf-mould. 
Spray  overhead  in  early  summer. 

*COLUMBINE  (Aquilegia  vulgaris).  Violet,  blue,  white,  red.  May; 
2  feet.  Heavier,  less  graceful,  but  more  permanent  than  the  long- 
spurred  kinds;  less  particular  about  shade  and  drainage;  excellent 

for  rocky  ledges.  ,  WILD  (A.  Canadensis).     Red  and  yellow;  2 

feet.    Attracts  humming  birds. ,  ROCKY  MOUNTAIN  (A.  carulea). 

Blue  and  white,     ij  feet.     Two  last  best  for  naturalising.     Light, 
sandy  soil,  moist,  with  good  drainage.     Keep  seed-bed  moist. 
YELLOW  (A.  cbrysantba).     3  to  4  feet.     May  to  August. 

*CoLUMN  FLOWER  (Lepacbys  columnaris).  Yellow.  June  to  Septei 
ber;  I  to  3  feet.  A  composite,  2  to  3  inches  across,  the  dark  disc 
formed  into  an  elongated  thimble-like  cone,  2  inches  or  more  long, 
and  borne  on  long,  wiry  stalks.  Excellent  for  massing,  and  good 
for  cut  flowers.  Sow  early  indoors  and  transplant  outside  for 
succession  the  first  season.  Sometimes  treated  as  an  annual. 
Similar  to  cone  flower. 

CORAL  BELLS,  ALUM  ROOT  (Heucbera  sanguined).  Coral  red.  July, 
August;  I  to  2j  feet.  Long  lily-of-the-valley-like  spikes  of  dainty, 
coral-red  flowers  appearing  intermittently  all  summer.  Wiry  stems. 
Likes  sandy,  well-drained,  but  not  necessarily  dry  soil.  Propagat 
by  dividing  roots  after  flowering. 

COREOPSIS.    See  TICKSEED. 


X*2 


BOLTONIA  —  ONE    OF   THE    BEST   OF   THE    ASTER-LIKE    PLANTS,  ESPECIALLY  THE   TALL, 
WHITE  VARIETY.      THE  FRINGY  FLOWERS  LAST  A  WEEK  IN  WATER 


Perennials  for  a  Thought-out  Garden          221 

CUPID'S  DART  (Catananche  ccerulea).  Blue.  June  to  August;  2  to  3 
feet.  Like  a  blue  daisy,  2  inches  across.  Excellent  in  light  soils, 
but  easily  grown  anywhere.  Named  varieties:  alba,  white;  bicolor, 
blue  centre  with  white  margin.  Used  as  everlastings  when  cut. 
Increase  by  seed  or  division. 

EVENING  PRIMROSE  ((Enothera  biennis,  var.  grandiflora).  Gear 
yellow.  June  to  September;  5  feet.  The  flowers  4  to  5  inches 
across  open  suddenly  at  nightfall.  Best  yellow-flowered  biennial 
for  bold  effects.  Easily  naturalised.  Almost  any  soil.  (E. 
fruticosa,  the  Day  Primrose,  is  described  under  SUN  DROPS  in 
Native  Plants  for  the  Wild  Garden,  p.  95. 

?LAX  (Linum  Lewisii).  Sky  blue.  July,  August;  I  to  2  feet.  Expanded 
flowers  1 1  inches  across,  lasting  a  short  time,  but  borne  in  rapid 
succession.  Will  flower  first  year  from  seeds  sown  in  the  open. 
Increase  by  seeds  or  division.  Full  sun,  in  open  place.  L.  perenne 
is  much  like  this,  but  has  smaller  flowers. 

''FoRGET-ME-NoT  (Myosotis  palustris).  Bright  blue.  May,  June; 
6  inches  to  i§  feet.  The  best  all-purpose  hardy  plant  of  its  colour  for 
feathery  and  foreground  effects.  Best  in  moist,  half  shady  places, 

but  will  do  in  open  sun  if  soil  be  not  dry. ,  EARLY  (M .  dissitiflora). 

Deep  sky-blue.     April  to  July;  I  foot.     A  biennial,  but  self-sows, 
and  is  generally  the  more  useful. 

"FOXGLOVE  (Digitalis  purpurea).  Purplish  pink  to  white.  Early  June. 
Foxgloves  and  larkspurs  and  hollyhocks  are  the  best  flowers  with 
spire-like  clusters.  Common  old  magenta  form  strongest  for  natural- 
ising. Most  refined  form  is  Var.  gloxinioides.  Likes  partial  shade, 
and  coolness  at  roots.  Biennial. 

FRENCH  HONEYSUCKLE  (Hedysarum  coronarium).  Red.  August,  Sep- 
tember; 2  to  4  feet.  Pea-like  flowers  in  crowded  axillary  clusters, 
fragrant.  Light,  open,  well-drained  soil  in  sunny  place.  Easily 
grown.  Var.  album  has  white  flowers. 

SAILLARDIA.    See  BLANKET  FLOWER. 

IJAS  PLANT  (Dictamnus  albus.)     See  OLD-FASHIONED  FLOWERS,  p.  59. 

3LOBE  FLOWER  (Trollius  Eur opens).  Yellow.  May,  June;  I  to  \\  feet. 
Globular  flowers  borne  singly  or  in  twos,  like  gigantic  buttercups, 
2  inches  across  on  foot-long  stems.  Moist,  heavy  loam.  Var.  Lod- 
digesii  is  deep  yellow.  (T.  A siaticus) .  Orange  yellow;  ij  to  2 


222  The  American  Flower  Garden 

feet.  April  to  October.  Good  for  cutting.  Give  partial  exposure  to 
sun.  Increase  by  division  in  September,  or  seeds.  Seedlings 
grow  slowly. 

GOAT'S  BEARD,  TRUE  (Aruncus  Sylvester). ,  FALSE  (Astilbe  decandra). 

White.  July,  August;  4  feet.  These  two  so  closely  resemble  each 
other  that  they  are  commonly  confused.  Either  one  is  worth  grow- 
ing for  bold,  massive,  half-wild  effects,  especially  for  connecting  the 
flower  border  with  shrubbery.  The  plume-like  clusters  of  flowers 
are  6  inches  or  more  long.  Foliage  boldly  three-lobed,  and  having 
quite  a  shrubby  appearance.  Either  one  may  be  planted.  Very 
easily  grown  in  any  soil  or  situation.  Propagate  by  division  any 
time. 

GOLDEN  GLOW  (Rudbeckia  laciniata,  var.  Golden  Glow).  Clear  yellow. 
August;  6  to  8  feet.  Multiplies  faster  than  any  other  desirable 
hardy  plant.  To  kill  red  plant  lice,  dissolve  any  common  soap  in 
water,  and  spray  on  the  insects.  Cut  back  after  flowering,  to  induce 
second  crop.  Divide  roots  any  time. 

GOUT  WEED,  BISHOP'S  WEED  (Mgopodium  Podograria,  var.  variegata). 
Yellow  and  green  foliage.  All  season,  ij  feet.  One  of  the  most 
persistent  of  old-time  variegated  plants.  Keeps  its  colour  under 
all  conditions,  and  thrives  on  all  kinds  of  soil,  also  under  shade  or 
in  the  open  sun. 

HIBISCUS,  SUNSET  (H.  Manihot).  Pale  yellow.  July,  August;  3  to  9 
feet.  One  of  the  largest  yellow  flowers,  4  to  9  inches  across,  some- 
times white,  with  large  purple  eye.  Not  hardy  in  the  North,  and 
roots  must  be  lifted  to  warm,  dry  cellar.  Raise  from  seeds;  and 
started  indoors  early  will  bloom  first  year.  See  also  MALLOWS. 

HOLLYHOCK.     See  OLD-FASHIONED  FLOWERS,  p.  60. 

HONESTY,  PERENNIAL  (Lunaria  rediviva).  Purple  to  grayish  purple. 
May,  June;  I J  to  7^  feet.  Flowers  smaller  and  lighter  coloured  than 
in  the  annual  species  (L.  annua),  otherwise  quite  like  it,  but  with 
elliptical  pod.  Grown  for  the  persistent  septum  of  the  seed  pod, 
which  is  silvery,  and  makes  a  pretty  winter  decoration.  Easily 
grown  in  any  soil.  Increase  by  seeds  or  division. 

HORNED  POPPY  (Glaucium  luteurri).  Orange,  yellow.  July  to  Septem- 
ber; 6  inches.  Flowers  poppy-like,  2  to  3  inches  across,  and  in 
profusion,  but  do  not  last  long.  Blooms  till  frost  if  seed  pods  are 


Perennials  for  a  Thought-out  Garden          223 

constantly  removed.  Foliage  glaucous  blue,  and  striking.  Give 
open,  sunny  situation.  Short-lived,  and  best  treated  as  biennial, 
but  may  be  increased  by  division.  Hardy. 

INCARVILLEA  (Incarvillea  Delavayt).  Rosy  purple.  June,  July;  I  to  2 
feet.  Very  showy,  bignonia-like  flowers,  2  to  3  inches  long  and  wide. 
Tube  yellow.  Finest  hardy,  herbaceous  perennial  in  the  family. 
Large,  bold  foliage,  I  foot  long,  pinnate.  Protect  in  winter. 
Deep,  light,  sandy  loam,  in  sheltered,  warm  place.  Propagate  by 
division  or  seed. 

*!RIS,  FLAG  (FLEUR-DE-LUCE),  DWARF   (Iris  biflora).      Violet-purple. 

April;  10  inches.    Also  white   and  yellow  varieties. (/.  Cham- 

airis).     Yellow.     Late  April;   6   inches.       Also   white    and    violet 

varieties.   (7.  pumila).     Lilac-blue.      April;  6  inches.      Best 

for  permanent  edgings.  Told  from  the  two  preceding  by  the  flower 
tube  being  two  inches  or  more  long.  There  is  a  brown  and 
yellow  form.  Earliest  large-flowered  iris  for  general  use.  Flowers 
3  to  4  inches  across.  Increases  quickly.  The  best  blue  variety  is 

ccerulea.     The  best    yellow,  luteo-maculata. CRESTED   DWARF 

(7.  cristatd).  Pale  blue.  April,  May;  less  than  I  foot.  Earliest 
hardy  iris  for  general  use.  Exquisite  for  edging.  Flowers  about 

2    inches  across.     Plant  when  growth  starts.      ,  FLORENTINE 

(7.  Florentine?).  The  orris  root  of  commerce.  Flowers  with 
the  German  Iris.  Quite  hardy.  2  to  2^  feet.  Flowers, 
white  tinged  lavender,  veined  purple  at  the  base.  Early  Var. 

albicans,    pure    white.     Most    common    and    easily    grown. , 

GERMAN  (7.  Germanica).  The  great,  purple-bearded  iris.  Perhaps 
the  most  generally  cultivated.  7.  Germanica  alba,  so-called,  is  a 
companion  to  the  white  Florentine,  both  flowering  in  May.  The 
so-called  "German"  irises  of  gardens  are  not  varieties  of  7. 
Germanica,  but  a  mixture  of  many  species,  and,  consequently, 
show  great  range  of  habit.  Among  the  best  of  these  are  Madam 
Chereau,  white  feathered  and  bordered  blue;  Aurea,  golden  yellow; 
Eugene  Sue,  creamy  white  with  purple  spots  and  stripes;  Liabaud, 
yellow  and  maroon;  Sappho,  clear  blue  and  indigo;  Celeste,  light 

lavender-blue. ,  ENGLISH.  See  p.  60. ,  JAPAN  (7.  lavgiata, 

or  Kcempferi).  Many  varieties  from  silvery  white  through  lavender 
and  magenta  to  purple,  pure  and  in  combination.  July;  3  to  4 
feet.  Grows  perfectly  in  an  ordinary  garden,  if  well  supplied  with 


224  The  American  Flower  Garden 

water  during  blooming  season.  Most  decorative.  Flowers 
inches  across.  Too  short-lived  for  a  perfect  cut  flower,  and  will  not 
stand  shipment.  It  is  useless  to  recommend  named  varieties  here, 
as  hardly  any  two  lists  offer  the  same.  The  names  are  Japanese, 

and  merely  generally  descriptive. ,  SIBERIAN  (7.  Sibirica).    May, 

June;  2  to  3  feet.  Makes  large,  compact  clumps  of  linear  leaves 
from  the  centre  of  which  rise  tall  stems  of  lilac-blue,  beardless 
flowers. 

JACOB'S  LADDER  (Polemonium  caruleum).  Grayish  blue.  May  to 
July;  I  to  3  feet.  Expanded  bell-shaped  flowers,  I  inch  across. 
Should  be  in  every  border  because  of  its  rare  colour  in  midsummer. 
Easily  adapted  to  any  deep,  rich  loam,  partly  shaded,  not  very  dry 
places.  Raised  from  seed  in  the  fall,  also  increased  by  division. 
Foliage  has  numerous  finely  cut  leaflets,  hence  the  popular  name. 

LARKSPUR  (Delphinium  formosurri).  Blue  in  all  shades,  to  white. 
June;  4  to  6  feet.  The  best  of  all  the  tall-growing  blue  perennials. 
Should  be  in  every  border.  (See  OLD-FASHIONED  FLOWERS, 
p.  60).  Deeply  prepared,  cool,  rich  soil. 

LEADWORT  (Cerato stigma  plumbaginoides).  Cobalt  blue.  September, 
October.  Showiest  low-growing,  hardy,  blue-flowered  perennial 
for  mass  effects  in  autumn.  Blooms  naturally  then.  Somewhat 
resembles  phlox.  Stems  red.  Any  garden  soil.  Needs  winter 
protection  in  the  North.  One  of  our  most  valuable  plants.  Prop- 
agated by  cuttings.  Frequently  catalogued  as  Plumbago  Larpenta. 

*MALLOW,  MUSK  (Malva  moschata).  Rose,  white.  July  to  September; 
1 1  feet.  Flowers  ij  inches  across,  well  expanded,  and  borne 
singly.  Very  showy,  and  one  of  the  most  easily  grown  of  all  plants 
in  any  situation  or  soil.  Good  for  border  or  specimen.  In  places 

has  escaped  from  gardens  and  naturalised. :,  SWAMP  ROSE.  See 

NATIVE    PLANTS,    p.   93.      HYBRIDS.      A  new  race  arising 

from  the  native  mallows  of  the  North  combined  with  some  of 
the  tropical  species.  These  promise  to  be  valuable  for  more  or 
less  wild  effects.  Not  suitable  for  formal  beds  or  borders.  Slender, 
arching  stems  several  feet  long.  Flowers  in  various  colours,  chiefly 
shades  of  pink  and  madder;  6  inches  across;  produced  all  summer. 

MAN-OF-THE-EARTH,  WILD  POTATO  (Ipomaea  pandurata).  White.  May 
to  September;  2  to  12  feet.  Flowers  like  a  morning-glory,  with  deep 
purple  throat.  One  of  the  very  hardiest  tuberous  vines.  Useful 


Perennials  for  a  Thought-out  Garden          225 

for  covering  unsightly  objects,  tree  stumps,  etc.  Root  weighs 
10  to  12  Ibs.  Sometimes  known  as  hardy  perennial  moonflower. 
Any  soil. 

*MEADOW  RUE.   See  NATIVE  PLANTS,  p.  93. 

MEADOW  SWEET.     See  NATIVE  PLANTS,  p.  93. 

*MONKEY  FLOWER  (Mimulus  luteus).  Yellow.  All  summer;  I  to  3  feet. 
Flowers  two-lipped,  but  expanded,  with  open  throat,  mottled  brown. 
Usually  treated  as  an  annual  because  it  is  not  hardy  North.  Self- 
sows,  and  grows  anywhere;  but  especially  with  plenty  of  water. 

,    RED    (M.    cardinalis).     Red   and  yellow;    i   to  2  feet.     Is 

hardy  in  Massachusetts  with  slight  protection.     Useful  for  moist 

soils  and  shaded  places,  or  northern  exposure. (M.  ringens). 

Blue.     A  native  plant. 

MONKSHOOD  (Aconitum  Napellus).  Deep  blue  to  white.  July  to 
August;  3  feet.  One  of  the  most  beautiful  of  all  blue  flowers,  having 
the  general  habit  of  the  larkspur,  but  not  commonly  planted  because 
of  its  poisonous  character.  Dangerous  to  children  and  pets.  Grows 
in  either  sun  or  shade,  and  any  sort  of  soil.  The  flower  is  curiously 
hooded,  hence  the  name. 

[OUSE-EARED  CmcKWEED  (Cerastium  tomentosum).  White.  All  sum- 
mer; 6  inches.  Invaluable  for  edging  and  foreground,  and  as  foil 
to  other  colours  in  the  mixed  border.  Individual  flowers  very 
small.  Foliage  woolly  and  quite  decorative.  Hardy. 

[ETTLE,  VARIEGATED  (Lamium  maculatum,  var.  variegatum).  Purple- 
red  to  white.  May  to  July;  6  to  8  inches.  A  valuable,  low  carpeting 
plant,  with  pretty  ornamental  foliage,  green  blotched  with  white 
on  the  midrib.  Grows  everywhere.  Flowers  i  inch  long  in  clusters 
and  tiers.  Increases  by  division.  This  is  the  dead  nettle  of  the 
Old  World.  Several  varieties,  varying  in  colour  of  flower.  The 
type  has  plain  green  foliage.  Runs  wild  in  places. 

PANSY  (Viola  tricolor).  Blue,  yellow,  white,  reddish  brown,  and  inter- 
mediate shades.  All  summer;  6  inches.  Probably  the  most  popular 
of  all  dwarf  hardy  herbaceous  plants,  but  usually  treated  as  a  tender 
annual  for  bedding.  Does  best  in  cool,  deep  loam,  with  partial 

shade. ,    TUFTED     OR  BEDDING  (V.  cornuta  and  varieties). 

Blue,  yellow,  white,  etc.,  in  variety.  June,  July.  Flowers  smaller 
than  pansies,  but  plant  is  better  habited  and  more  hardy  blooming 


226  The  American  Flower  Garden 

over  a  longer  season.  After  July,  cut  back,  manure  heavily,  water 
often,  and  they  will  make  a  fine  show  in  September.  All  pansies 
like  a  cool,  moist  atmosphere.  For  early  bloom  sow  seeds  in 
August  in  frames  or  outdoors,  giving  light  protection  over  winter. 
Spring  sowings  give  late  bloom.  Usually  treated  as  annuals. 

PEA,  PERENNIAL  (Lathyrus  lattfolius).  Rosy  magenta.  August;  4  to  8 
feet.  A  sprawling,  rampant  growing  vine,  with  many  flowers  in  a 
cluster.  Thrives  anywhere,  even  in  poorest  soils,  and  improves 
from  year  to  year.  Root  a  tuber,  and  dislikes  removal.  White, 
dark  purple,  and  striped  varieties  offered. (L.  grandiflorus).  Sim- 
ilar, but  with  larger  flowers,  two  together;  less  vigorous;  4  to  6  feet. 

PEARL  ACHILLEA.    See  SNEEZEWORT. 

*PENTSTEMON.  See  BEARD  TONGUE. 

PEONY  (Paonia  officinalis  and  albi flora).  White,  rose  to  deep  crimson. 
May,  June;  2\  feet.  Probably  the  most  useful  hardy,  herbaceous 
plant.  Immense  flowers  like  glorified  roses,  single  and  double,  and 
handsome  foliage.  Old-time  favourite.  (See  p.  62  for  best-named 
varieties.)  The  real  old  kinds  have  been  lost  to  cultivation  under 
name,  as  modern  introductions  show  continuous  and  great  im- 
provements. 

PERIWINKLE  (Vinca  minor).  Deep  blue,  pink,  white.  May,  June. 
Creeping.  Best  carpeting  plant  for  shady  places.  Grows  where 
nothing  else  will.  Leaves  oval,  I  inch  long,  very  deep,  lustrous 
green.  Flowers  hidden  under  the  leaves,  i  inch  or  more  across. 
Often  found  escaped  near  old  gardens. 

PHLOX,  PERENNIAL  (Phlox  paniculate!).  All  colours  but  blue  and  real 
yellow.  August,  September.  Largest  flower  clusters  of  any  hardy 
perennial.  Wide  range  of  colours.  Attracts  more  butterflies  than 
any  other  garden  flowers.  White  phlox,  fragrant  in  evening.  To 
prevent  mildew  divide  every  third  year.  Spray  under  sides  of 
leaves  with  ammoniacal  copper  carbonate.  Miss  Lingard,  white; 
Coquelicot,  flame;  Belvedere,  salmon-pink;  Richard  Wallace, 
white  with  violet  centre;  Mahdi,  deep  violet-blue;  La  Vague, 
silvery  rose,  large;  Crepuscule,  gray-blue,  flat  head,  are  very 
distinct  varieties  at  this  writing,  but  with  new  introductions  the 

standards  are  likely  to  change  every  year. ,  WILD  BLUE  (P. 

divaricata).  Lilac-blue;  best  for  naturalising  in  moist,  rocky  soil. 
,  CREEPING.  See  Moss  PINK. 


Perennials  for  a  Thought-out  Garden          227 

PINK,  Miss  SIMKINS  (Diantbus  byb.  Miss  Simkins).  White.  May, 
June;  4  to  6  inches.  This  is  by  far  the  best  and  most  popular  of  all 
the  hardy  pinks.  Large,  double  flowers,  and  grows  in  any  soil. 
Good  for  cutting;  fragrant.  Excellent  for  edging,  the  glaucous 
foliage  persisting  all  the  season.  There  are  numerous  other  pinks 
referred  to  different  species.  (See  OLD-FASHIONED  FLOWERS,  p.  63). 

,  SCOTCH,  GARDEN,  GRASSY  (D.  plumariui).  Purple,  magenta, 

white,  pink,  rose.  May,  June;  i  foot.  Most  fragrant  of  all  hardy 
pinks,  and  has  most  double  varieties.  Clove  odour.  Needs  perfect 
drainage.  Best  grown  as  edging  for  raised  beds  or  borders. 

,  FRINGED  (D.  superbus).  Lilac.  July;  i  foot.  Natural 

complement  of  garden  pink,  blooming  until  autumn  if  not  allowed 
to  seed.  Mix  plenty  of  sand  and  grit  in  soil  for  drainage. 

PLATYCODON.    See  BALLOON  FLOWER. 

PLUMBAGO.     See  LEADWORT. 

*PLUME  POPPY  (Bocconia  cor  data).  Pinkish  white.  July.  Flowers 
in  fluffy  masses.  Leaves  shaped  like  a  fig's,  but  glaucous.  Spreads 
rapidly  by  suckers,  and  makes  glorious  masses.  Sometimes  becomes 
a  weed  in  rich,  moist  soil. 

POPPY,  ICELAND  (Papaver  nudicaule).  Yellow  to  orange  red  and  white. 
April  to  June,  and  August,  September;  15  inches.  Better  than 
the  Alpine  poppy  for  borders,  growing  well  in  moderately  rich  and 
light  loam.  Give  full  sun.  One  of  the  prettiest,  low-growing 
perennials  with  the  characteristic  crinkled  petals  of  the  poppies. 
Sow  seeds  in  fall  where  plants  are  to  remain.  Often  treated  as  an 

annual. ,  ORIENTAL  (P.  orientale).  Scarlet,  orange-red  to  deep 

pink  and  white.  June,  July;  3  feet.  The  most  gorgeous  red- 
flowered  hardy  perennial,  and  should  be  planted  sparingly  against 
I  green  surroundings.  Flowers  6  to  more  inches  across,  with  black 
centre.  The  thistle-like  foliage  disappears  in  late  summer.  Alto- 
gether one  of  the  most  effective  and  boldest  of  plants.  Transplant 
in  August.  Small  pieces  of  root  an  inch  long  can  be  handled  like 
seeds,  and  will  produce  new  plants.  Usually  slow  to  establish,  and 
should  not  be  disturbed.  Several  named  varieties,  but  the  type 
is  the  most  gorgeous. 

PRICKLY  PEAR  (Opuntia  vulgaris).  Yellow.  June  to  September; 
10  inches.  The  only  cactus  that  can  be  grown  in  the  border. 
Curiously  jointed,  flat,  leaf-like  stems,  covered  with  spines  in  groups. 


228  The  American  Flower  Garden 

Has  a  sprawling,  crab-like  effect.  Flowers  at  intervals  during  the 
season.  Good  for  shallow  soils,  cool,  and  underdrained. 

ROCKET  (Hesperis  matronalis).  White  to  purple  and  magenta.  June 
to  August;  2  to  3  feet  or  more  in  rich  soils.  Flowers  borne  in  dense 
spikes,  like  stock.  One  of  the  old  favourites,  and  very  effective  in 
the  border.  Easily  grown  in  any  soil.  Forms  large  clumps. 

ST.  JOHN'S  WORT  (Hypericum  Moserianum).  Yellow.  July,  August; 
2  feet.  Very  showy,  largest  of  all  the  St.  John's  worts.  Great 
mass  of  long,  thread-like  stamens.  Flowers  2  inches  in  diameter. 
Any  garden  soil,  with  preference  for  sandy.  Propagate  by  seeds, 
suckers,  cuttings. 

SUN  DROPS.     See  NATIVE  PLANTS,  p.  95. 

SAGE,  SILVER  (Salvia  argentcd).  White.  May,  June;  2  to  4  feet.  The 
real  value  of  this  plant  lies  in  its  pretty  white  woolly  foliage.  The 
tallest  hardy  biennial  or  perennial  of  that  character.  The  inflor- 
escence is  2  feet  long,  and  usually  three-branched. 

SEA  HOLLY  (Eryngium  amethystinum).  Blue.  July  to  September; 
2  to  5  feet.  Thistle-like  plant  with  large  flower  heads  in  cones,  with 
finely  cut  bracts.  Whole  plant  takes  on  a  metallic  blue  sheen, 
especially  in  sandy  soils,  as  the  season  advances. 

*SEDUM,  SHOWY  (Sedum  spectabile).  Rose  to  crimson.  August  to 
October;  2  feet.  Best  hardy  succulent  for  the  border.  Bold, 
fleshy  foliage  and  flower  heads,  3  or  4  inches  across.  Attracts 
butterflies.  Any  soil,  but  likes  water.  Propagate  by  division. 

SHASTA  DAISY  (Chrysanthemum  Leucanthemum  hybrid).  i  Very  closely 
resembling  the  common  ox-eye  daisy,  its  parent,  but  larger  and 
more  floriferous.  Flowers  all  season,  but  does  not  succeed  every- 
where in  the  East. 

SIDALCEA  (Sidalcea  malva  flora).  Purple.  August,  September;  I  to  6 
feet.  Flowers  up  to  2  inches  across  when  expanded,  and  pink  with 
satiny  texture  in  Var.  Listen,  "Pink  Beauty."  One  of  the  most 
easily  grown  plants  from  seed.  Quite  hardy.  Propagate  by 
seeds  or  division. 

SNAPDRAGON  (Antirrhinum  majus).  Red  and  purple  to  white  and 
yellow.  July,  August;  I  to  3  feet.  Flowers  I  inch  long,  borne  in 
spikes  blooming  from  the  bottom  over  several  weeks;  curiously 
formed  like  a  rabbit's  mouth,  opening  when  pinched.  Excellent 


Perennials  for  a  Thought-out  Garden          229 

for  cutting.  One  of  the  very  best  almost  hardy  plants.  Give 
light  protection  in  winter.  Sow  outdoors  in  May,  or  for  spring  bloom 
in  frames  in  February.  Can  be  forced  and  propagated  from  cuttings 
at  all  seasons. 

*SNEEZEWEED.     See  NATIVE  PLANTS,  p.  94. 

SNEEZEWORT  (Acbillea  Ptarmica^  fl.-pl.).  White,  button-like  flowers  in 
loose  corymbs  all  summer;  i  to  2  feet.  One  of  the  most  useful 
white  flowers  for  cutting.  Much  like  the  yarrow,  with  finely  cut 
leaves.  Perfectly  hardy. 

SPANISH  BAYONET,  ADAM'S  NEEDLE  (Tucca  filamentosa).  Creamy 
white.  June,  July;  ultimate  height,  6  feet.  Best  desert  plant 
for  garden  use.  Bold,  rigid  foliage,  2  to  ^\  feet,  in  dense  rosettes. 
Flowers  borne  in  towering  spike,  after  which  the  old  plant  makes 
offsets.  Good  for  massing  and  sub-tropical  effects. 

*SPIDERWORT  (Tradescantia  Virgimand).  Blue,  violet.  All  summer; 
2  feet.  Carpeting  plant  with  rich  green  foliage  that  endures  all  the 
season.  Invaluable  for  shaded  and  poor,  wet  soils,  and  for  fore- 

»  ground  to  shrubbery.  Also  grows  in  dry  soils.  Various  colour 
varieties  in  cultivation. 

SPIREA  (Astilbe  Japonicd).  White.  June,  July;  ij  feet.  Feathery 
plumes  borne  above  finely  cut  foliage.  The  florist's  spirea, 
forced  for  winter.  See  also  SHRUBS,  p.  185. 

STORE'S  ASTER  (Stoke si  a  cyanea).  Blue,  white.  August  to  October;  i  J 
feet.  Large,  flat,  thistle-like  flowers,  2  inches  across.  Well- 
drained,  deep  soil.  The  white  variety  quite  new.  Propagate  by 
seeds  in  frames. 

SUNFLOWER,  MAXIMILIAN'S  (Helianthus  Maximiliani).  Deep  yellow. 
October,  November;  8  feet.  Leaves  deeply  grooved.  Flowers  ij 
inches.  Latest  of  all  the  tall  perennials,  and  will  endure  severe 

frosts;  any  soil.  ,  SLENDER  (H.  orgy  alls).  September;  4 

feet  long.  Pale  yellow  flowers  above  drooping  leaves,  10  to  12 

feet.  ,  DOUBLE  PERENNIAL  (H.  multiflorus,  var.  plenus). 

August;  4  feet.  Flowers  4  inches  across,  symmetrical.  Best  large, 
double  flower  of  any  perennial.  Rich  soil.  Divide  every  four 
years. 

SWEET  WILLIAM  (Dianthus  barbatus).  Maroon,  red,  pink,  white. 
Self-coloured,  variegated.  Trusses  4  inches  across ;  fragrant,  showy; 


230  The  American  Flower  Garden 

five  weeks.  One  of  the  best  variegated  flowers.  Best  crop  always 
second  year  from  seed.  Self-sows;  transplant  seedlings  in  late 
summer.  (See  p.  64.) 

TANSY.    See  NATIVE  PLANTS,  p.  95. 

*TiCKSEED  (Coreopsis  lanceolata).  Yellow.  August  till  frost;  I  to  2  feet. 
Daisy-like  flower,  2  inches  across;  brown  centre.  One  of  the  very 
best  of  its  colour,  and  easily  grown.  For  border  and  for  cutting. 
Perfectly  hardy.  Best  to  stake  the  plants,  and  when  setting  out 
from  seed  bed  allow  one  foot  distance.  All  soils,  but  repays  good 
waterings  in  summer.  Rich,  damp  soil  in  open  places  and  near 
streams.  Best  long  season  yellow  flower. 

VERONICA  (Veronica  longi folia,  var.  subsessilis).  Purple.  August, 
September.  Longest  spikes  of  any  autumn  flower;  long  season  of 
bloom.  Spikes  about  a  foot  long.  Responds  to  deep,  rich  soil  and 
sunny  position.  Very  striking  for  distant  mass  effects. 

*ViRGiNiA  COWSLIP  (Mertensia  Virginica,  or  M.  pulmonarioides).  Blue. 
April  to  June;  i  J  to  2  feet.  The  bell-like  blossoms  turn  reddish  with 
age.  Sheltered  position,  but  full  sun  and  rich  loam.  Resents  dis- 
turbance at  the  roots.  Leaves  die  down  after  the  flowering  time. 
Best  increased  by  seeds. 

WALLFLOWER  (Cheiranthus  Cheiri).  Red-brown  to  deep  yellow  and 
purplish  brown.  Quite  distinct.  May;  I  to  2j  feet.  Very  fra- 
grant. Easily  grown  in  cool,  rich  soil,  with  partial  shade.  Best 
sown  in  August  for  wintering  in  frames;  biennial.  Not  quite  hardy. 
Some  early  flowering  forms  like  C.  annuus  are  grown  as  annuals. 

WINDFLOWER,  SNOWDROP  (Anemone  sylvestris).  Cream  white,  tinged 
with  pink.  April  to  July;  i  to  ij  feet.  The  spring  counterpart  of 
the  Japanese  anemone,  and  the  largest  flower  of  its  kind  in  spring. 
The  bright  yellow  centre  is  very  striking.  Grow  in  masses  against 
shrubbery.  Well-drained  soil.  There  is  a  double  variety. 

WINTER  CHERRY,  STRAWBERRY  TOMATO  (Physahs  Alkekengi).  Showy 
red,  bladdery  calyx,  I  inch  across,  enclosing  an  edible  fruit.  Creeps 
under  ground,  and  becomes  troublesome.  The  modern  P.  Fran- 
cheti  is  twice  as  big  and  brighter.  The  cut  stalks  furnish  a  welcome 
red  for  Christmas  decorations. 

NOTE. —  Many  of  the  statements  in  the  above  list  are  taken  in  part  from  the  writings 
of  Wilhelm  Miller  in  Country  Life  in  America^  and  from  consultations  with  J.  T.  Withers 
and  R.  Cameron. 


ANNUALS 


"  To  succeed  in  modifying  the  appearance  of  a  flower  is  insignificant  in 
itself,  if  you  will;  but  reflect  upon  it  for  however  short  a  while,  and  it  becomes 
gigantic.  Do  we  not  violate,  or  deviate,  profound,  perhaps  essential  and,  in  any 
case,  time-honoured  laws?  Do  we  not  exceed  too  easily  accepted  limits?  Do 
we  not  directly  intrude  our  ephemeral  will  on  that  of  the  eternal  forces?  .  .  .  And 
the  most  modest  victory  gained  in  the  matter  oj  a  flower  may  one  day  disclose  to 
us  an  infinity  of  the  untold" —  MAETERLINCK. 

"As  Paradise  (though  of  God's  own  planting)  was  no  longer  Paradise  than 
the  man  was  put  into  it,  to  dress  and  keep  it;  so  nor  will  our  Gardens  .  .  .  remain 
long  in  their  perfection  unless  they  are  also  continually  cultivated" 

—  JOHN  EVELYN. 


CHAPTER  XII 

• 

ANNUALS 

FOR  several  reasons,  every  one  who  has  a  garden,  large  or 
small,  will  wish  to  grow  at  least  a  few  annuals.  Others 
may  require  an  entire  garden  of  them.  Not  every  lover 
of  flowers  owns  the  land  he  lives  on;  and  where  it  is  rented  for  a 
short  season  only,  and  quick  returns  are  required  rather  than  future 
gain,  a  wealth  of  bloom,  a  pyrotechnic  effect  of  colour,  may  be  had 
with  annuals  for  a  small  outlay.  The  best  results  with  perennials 
come  only  after  the  second  year,  or  when  the  plants  are  thoroughly 
established;  but  annuals,  hardy  or  tender,  put  forth  the  supreme 
efforts  of  their  exuberant  lives  in  two  or  three  months  after  their 
seeds  are  sown,  and  most  of  them  have  bloomed  themselves  to 
death  in  as  many  more.  True,  the  garden  of  annuals  only  is  bare 
until  early  summer  unless  seedlings  have  been  started  indoors  or 
under  glass  and  transplanted  to  the  open  when  spring  nights  can  be 
trusted  not  to  pinch  them;  and  the  first  frost  of  autumn  obliterates 
all  trace  of  the  tenderest  of  them,  of  all  except  a  few  hardy  ones 
like  marigolds,  nasturtiums  and  Drummond's  phlox  that  eke 
out  our  meagre  autumn  bouquets.  Light  hoar  frost  can  be 
endured  by  not  a  few,  but  black  frost  finishes  them  forever:  they 
perish  root  and  branch.  Only  the  seeds  of  a  few  among  the  host 
can  survive  a  northern  winter  in  the  open. 

A  plant  that  lives  only  one  brief  summer  would  be  a  poor 
investment  of  time  and  money,  if  one  have  a  permanent  home, 
unless  the  flower  have  some  transcendent  merit  of  fragrance,  or 
exquisite  form  or  lovely  colour,  like  the  sweet  pea,  for  instance, 

233 


234 


The  American  Flower  Garden 


which  offers  three  good  reasons  why  every  one  grows  it.  Never- 
theless, for  one  who  rents  a  country  place  for  only  one  season,  or 
whose  home  is  not  occupied  in  early  spring  or  late  autumn,  and  a 
great  show  of  flowers  is  wanted  at  midsummer  only,  when,  it 
must  be  admitted,  comparatively  few  perennials  are  at  their  best; 
when  only  a  small  initial  outlay  can  be  spared  for  a  garden,  or 
when  there  are  gaps  in  the  herbaceous  border  to  be  filled  in  with 
some  special  colour  and  timely  flowers,  annuals  will  be  one's 
source  of  garden  joy. 

"Cut  and  come  again"  might  be  applicable  to  many  annuals 
besides  the  old-fashioned  plant  that  bore  the  name.  If  wilted 
blossoms  are  kept  cut,  and  seed  is  not  permitted  to  form,  there 
would  seem  to  be  no  limit  to  the  bloom  these  most  floriferous  of 
plants  can  produce.  One  must  grow  some  of  them,  if  only  in 
the  vegetable  garden,  for  cutting  alone.  The  garden  and  house, 
too,  may  be  kept  gay  with  them.  None,  perhaps,  displays  so 
decorative  a  flower  as  the  hollyhock's  spire  which,  however,  is  use- 
less for  vases;  none  has  the  perfectly  satisfying  outline  possessed 
by  the  iris,  most  beloved  by  the  artistic  Japanese;  none  can  match 
the  peony  for  superb  size  and  style,  the  creeping  phlox  and  the 
chrysanthemum  for  earliness  and  lateness  of  bloom;  but  for 
profusion  of  flowers  and  duration  of  them,  for  fragrance  that 
very  many  of  them  possess,  and  for  lavish  display  of  colour,  annual 
certainly  eclipse  their  long-lived  rivals. 

It  is  their  very  prodigality,  however,  that  makes  them  difficult 
to  manage  in  a  garden  which  they  too  readily  make  gaudy.  Mod- 
ern hybridisers  have  been  very  busy  upon  them,  multiplying  new 
forms  and  tints.  More  flowers  than  foliage  are  seen  on  many  of 
the  plants.  Especially  do  they  need  a  background,  and  very  rarely 
do  they  get  one.  Unless  used  with  restraint  and  thoughtfulness 


Annuals  235 

they  are  apt  to  look  like  so  many  patches  of  colour  in  a  paint-box, 
or  so  many  bright  daubs  on  the  artist's  palette,  rather  than  a 
picture  complete  in  itself.  Many  gardeners,  alas,  mistake  the 
pigments  for  the  painting,  and  lay  on  crude,  plain  colours  with  a 
broad  brush.  However  beautiful  in  themselves,  a  multitude  of 
them,  unrelated,  can  actually  spoil  the  garden  composition  as  a 
whole;  and  the  same  plants,  thoughtfully  arranged,  can  bring 
perfect  content  in  a  garden.  Annuals,  even  if  short-lived  and 
cheap,  should  be  chosen  and  placed  with  care.  A  garden  is  not 
worth  having  unless  it  represents  loving  thought  and  affords 
pleasure  to  the  eye.  One  need  not  be  deeply  versed  in  art,  or 
be  able  to  talk  a  lot  of  nonsense  about  it,  to  distinguish  the  difference 
between  discord  and  harmony  of  tint.  Some  people  are  gifted 
with  a  subtle  colour  sense;  some  who  are  born  without  it  may 
acquire  taste  by  patient  striving;  but  until  it  is  attained  the  most 
satisfying  garden  effects  may  not  be  had.  "The  first  study  in 
flower  gardening  should  be  Colour  —  not  System,  not  Design,  but 
Colour/'  says  the  author  of  'The  Perfect  Garden.'  "System 
and  Design  separate  gardeners,  Colour  unites  them.  The  study 
of  colour  is  equally  the  privilege  of  the  owners  of  large  and  small 
gardens.  In  it  they  meet  on  common  ground.  The  same  effects 
can  be  secured  in  gardens  of  varied  area.  By  grouping  plants, 
either  on  a  large  or  small  scale,  in  such  a  way  that  their  hues  blend, 
we  get  beautiful  effects,  whether  the  plants  be  represented  by  half 
dozens  or  by  hundreds.  Flower  gardening  for  colour  is  almost  a 
new  study  in  gardens,  and  it  is  fraught  with  great  possibilities." 
This  quotation  should  be  pasted  in  the  crown  of  every  gardener's 
hat.  Masses  of  flowers  thoughtlessly  planted  —  a  hodge-podge 
of  warring  colours  —  give  scarcely  more  pleasure  than  a  crazy 
patchwork  quilt. 


236  The  American  Flower  Garden 

Needless  to  say,  perhaps,  seeds  should  be  bought  only  from 
a  reliable  firm;  but,  even  so,  one  must  be  prepared  for  some  dis- 
appointments. Never  buy  them  of  a  second-rate  house  merely 
because  they  seem  cheap.  Quality,  size  and  cleanliness  count 
for  more  than  a  penny  or  two  per  packet.  A  small  quantity  of 
inferior  seeds,  not  half  of  which  will  germinate,  ought  to  be  sold 
for  considerably  less  than  a  larger  number  of  carefully  grown  ones 
from  which  a  high  percentage  of  vigorous  stock  may  be  raised. 
Beguiled  by  the  descriptions  and  glowing  pictures  of  cleverly 
advertised  novelties,  entranced  by  the  possibility  of  growing 
quantities  of  "plants  of  the  easiest  culture,"  you  indulge  in  many 
little  packages  of  seed  to  sow  in  the  garden  of  your  dreams.  The 
more  expensive  sorts,  it  is  observed,  are  said  to  bear  the  largest, 
handsomest  flowers,  so  you  do  not  hesitate  to  try  them.  Although 
the  "extra  large  white  trumpets  of  a  new  petunia  of  surpassing 
beauty,  exquisitely  pencilled  and  elegantly  fringed,"  for  a  few 
seeds  of  which  you  give  a  high  price,  shows  on  blooming  that  it 
has  reverted  to  the  vulgar  type  in  spite  of  the  hand  labour  of  the 
hybridiser;  although  the  "Persian  pink"  zinnias  may  prove  to 
be  an  even  grosser  magenta;  although  half  your  Shirley  poppy 
seed  may  be  far  too  old  to  sprout,  and  the  fat  packets  of  nasturtiums 
prove  to  be  mostly  husks  scorned  by  maggots,  still,  the  proportion 
of  disappointments  is  not  so  great  as  to  totally  discourage.  Some 
of  your  dreams  materialise;  some  results  even  exceed  your  bright- 
est visions.  Gardening  is  only  a  refined  form  of  gambling,  after 
all.  Sometimes  the  odds  are  fearfully  against  us;  sometimes 
we  win;  but  once  the  passion  seizes  us  we  are  the  victims  of  its 
fascination  for  life. 

Dream-gardening  and  plan-drawing  are  occupations  for  the 
winter,  but  as  the  days  begin  to  lengthen  we  must  come  to  earth 


HOLLYHOCKS  ARE  ESPECIALLY  EFFECTIVE  IN  THE  FORMAL  GARDEN  BECAUSE  THEY 
REPEAT  THE  VERTICAL  LINES  OF  PERGOLA  PILLARS,  STANDARD  BAY  TREES,  AND 
OTHER  ACCESSORIES.  LARKSPURS,  LILIES  AND  FOXGLOVES  ARE  LIKEWISE  EFFECTIVE  THERE 


Annuals  237 

from  the  rosy  clouds,  hurry  off  our  list  to  the  seedsman,  buy 
fertiliser  and  attend  to  other  practical  preliminaries.  All  annuals 
may  be  sown  in  the  open  ground,  even  the  tenderest  of  them,  if  one 
wait  till  settled  weather  to  plant  them,  but  in  that  case  one  must 
not  expect  flowers  much  before  midsummer.  If  a  hotbed,  in 
which  to  start  the  tender  annuals  and  such  hardy  ones  as  one  wishes 
to  begin  to  bloom  earlier  than  they  would  if  sown  in  the  open 
ground,  cannot  be  had,  shallow  wooden  boxes,  two  or  three  inches 
deep,  and  of  any  convenient  size,  may  be  filled  with  very  fine, 
rich,  sandy  loam  and  placed  in  the  sunny  windows  of  the  house 
in  February  or  March  north  of  Philadelphia.  The  first  of  April 
is  not  too  late  to  start  seeds  in  the  vicinity  of  Chicago.  Sods  that 
have  been  piled  up  to  rot  for  several  years,  and  then  sifted  until 
thoroughly  mixed  with  old  black  manure  and  sand,  make  the  ideal 
food  for  infants  in  the  box  nurseries.  Soil  from  a  spent  hotbed 
is  the  next  best,  or  any  good  garden  loam  may  be  substituted  if 
need  be.  An  intermixture  of  sand  helps  fine  young  roots  to  feel 
their  way  about  in  search  of  food  more  readily.  A  bath  of  boiling 
water  poured  over  the  boxes  a  day  or  two  before  the  flower  seeds 
are  sown  kills  whatever  insect  life  and  weed  seeds  are  in  them. 
Boxes  set  in  windows  can  furnish  a  limited  supply  of  seedlings 
>nly.  More  flats  may  be  placed  in  a  greenhouse  if  you  are  the 
fortunate  possessor  of  one.  Flower-pots  and  even  tin  cans  are 
messed  into  service  by  the  enthusiastic.  In  any  case,  sow  every 
ipecies  more  than  once,  indoors  and  out,  to  lessen  the  chances  of 
Failure,  if  not  to  prolong  the  blooming  season. 

Sooner  or  later  every  gardener  feels  the  need  of  a   hotbed, 
and  proceeds  to  make  one.     If  it  can  be  placed  with  full  southern 
exposure  in  a  well-drained,  sheltered  spot,  where  the  wall   of  a 
building,  a  board  fence  or  even  an  evergreen  hedge  at  its  back 


238  The  American  Flower  Garden 

will  shield  it  from  northern  blasts,  so  much  the  better.  Concrete, 
in  the  ratio  of  one  to  seven  parts  of  sharp  sand,  has  come  to  be 
regarded  as  the  cheapest  and  cleanest  permanent  wall  for  the  bed. 
Any  day-labourer  can  fill  the  moulds  under  intelligent  direction. 
Brick  makes  a  good  retaining  wall,  too;  but  many  people  use 
planks  to  line  the  excavation,  which  should  be  two  and  a  half 
feet  deep.  Dig  out  the  pit  at  that  uniform  depth  and  make  it  as 
long  as  required.  Hotbed  sashes,  as  generally  sold  in  the  trade, 
are  three  by  six  feet,  so  the  bed's  length  will  be  a  number  of  feet 
divisible  by  three,  inside  measurement.  Sashes  glazed  and 
painted  cost  less  than  three  dollars  each.  It  is  desirable  to  par- 
tition off  spaces  three  feet  wide,  not  only  to  support  the  sashes, 
but  to  separate  plants  that  require  much  heat  from  those 
that  require  a  little.  On  top  of  the  concrete,  brick,  or  plank 
walls  —  and  some  people  leave  merely  the  earthen  walls  without 
any  reinforcement  —  place  a  wooden  frame  eighteen  inches  high 
at  the  back  and  a  foot  high  in  front,  which  will  give  sufficient  slope 
to  the  sashes  placed  upon  it  to  shed  the  rain  and  to  catch  the 
sunlight.  Cross-pieces  for  the  sashes  to  slide  on  when  one  wants 
to  open  and  close  the  frames  are  laid  on  top  of  the  partitions. 

Fresh  horse-manure  from  the  stables,  added  to  one-third 
its  bulk  of  litter  or  leaves  for  fuel,  needs  to  be  well  mixed  and 
packed  down  in  a  compact  mass  by  tramping  in  order  that  fermen- 
tation may  begin.  In  a  few  days  the  escape  of  steam  from  the 
hot  heap  will  indicate  that  it  is  time  to  turn  it  over  for  a  second 
fermentation,  which  will  require  two  or  three  days  more.  The 
manure  is  now  ready  to  be  laid  in  layers  well  tramped  down  in  the 
bottom  of  the  pit  to  the  required  depth  —  about  two  feet.  On 
top  of  it  place  two  inches  of  fine,  old  black  manure  and  six  or  eight 
inches  of  well-rotted  and  sifted  sod  prepared  with  sand  and 


Annuals  239 

fertiliser  as  directed  for  the  seed  boxes.  Now  put  a  thermometer 
in  the  hotbed  and  close  the  sashes.  Not  until  the  first  heat  has 
subsided,  and  the  temperature  falls  to  seventy  degrees,  is  it  safe 
to  sow  seeds.  One  sometimes  sees  hotbed  plants,  that  have 
started  thriftily,  suddenly  turn  yellow  just  as  they  become  well 
grown  and  ready  to  transplant.  This  indicates  that  their  roots, 
having  pushed  through  the  too-shallow  soil  in  search  of  food,  have 
come  suddenly  in  contact  with  the  hot  manure  when  the  precau- 
tion of  placing  a  two-inch  layer  of  old,  thoroughly  decomposed 
fertiliser  between  it  and  the  soil  has  been  omitted. 

To  hasten  germination,  soak  seed  in  tepid  water  over  night. 
Fine  seed,  like  the  tobacco  plant's  or  petunia's,  need  be  only 
loosely  sprinkled  over  the  surface  of  a  small  square  area  and 
pressed  into  the  soil  with  a  smooth,  flat  piece  of  board  about  ten 
inches  long  and  half  as  wide,  having  a  handle  like  a  stove  brush 
on  its  upper  surface.  It  is  the  work  of  only  a  few  minutes  to 
make  this  little  tool,  which  will  be  found  very  useful  in  the  garden, 
too,  when  one  comes  to  plant  poppies  and  other  small  seeds,  which 
will  not  bear  transplanting,  in  the  open  ground.  A  pointed  stick 
for  making  straight  little  furrows  to  drop  all  but  very  small  seeds 
in  is  another  helpful  trifle.  Repeated  sowings,  either  in  the 
hotbed  or  out  of  doors,  at  ten-day  intervals,  will  insure  a  pro- 
longed succession  of  bloom.  Most  novices  make  five  mistakes  in 
planting  seeds:  first,  in  not  working  over  the  surface  soil  long 
enough  to  pulverise  it  and  remove  every  lump  and  pebble;  second, 
in  burying  seeds  too  deep;  third,  in  not  firming  the  soil  about  them 
so  that  the  first  feeble  roots  may  come  in  immediate  contact  with 
their  food;  fourth,  in  sowing  too  thick;  and  fifth,  in  allowing  the 
seeds,  or  seedlings,  to  dry  out.  The  finest  seeds  should  be  scat- 
tered over  the  surface  and  merely  pressed  into  the  earth,  as  has 


240  The  American  Flower  Garden 

been  said;  larger  ones,  as  a  rule,  need  to  be  planted  at  a  depth 
equal  to  their  diameter;  medium-sized  seeds  like  the  zinnia's 
and  balsam's  find  an  inch  of  soil  over  them  sufficient,  while  sweet 
peas,  which  should  be  sown  in  the  open  ground  as  early  in  the 
spring  as  it  can  be  worked,  need  to  be  dropped  an  inch  apart  in  a 
trench  six  or  eight  inches  deep,  and  have  soil  from  the  sides  drawn 
over  the  young  plants  gradually  as  growth  increases,  if  the  vines 
are  not  to  burn  out  during  hot,  dry  weather.  Leave  no  air  spaces 
around  any  seeds.  Newspapers  laid  over  the  earth  in  the  hotbed 
where  the  seeds  have  been  planted  prevent  them  from  drying  out 
for  the  first  week  and  encourage  them  to  sprout. 

When  a  number  of  varieties  of  one  kind  of  plant  —  different 
shades  of  asters,  for  example  —  are  sown  in  the  hotbed,  strips 
of  moulding  about  the  width  of  a  lead  pencil  make  good  divisions. 
Without  them  and  plainly  marked  labels  at  the  top  of  each  line, 
confusion  is  sure  to  arise.  Tall  plants  like  cosmos  or  castor  bean 
will  be  put  at  the  deep  back  part  of  the  hotbed,  so  as  not  to  screen 
the  lower  ones  in  front  from  the  sun  and  burn  their  own  heads 
off  next  the  glass.  Not  until  seedlings  are  well  rooted  is  it  safe 
to  use  a  watering-pot  to  sprinkle  them.  Baby  plants  are  apt  to 
be  washed  out  of  the  soil  by  a  too-violent  downpour  from  a  can 
or  hose.  At  first,  partly  submerge  the  flats  that  contain  very  tiny 
seeds,  and  use  a  rubber  bulb  with  a  fine  rose  spray,  or  a  whisk 
broom  dipped  in  tepid  water  and  shaken  over  those  in  the  hotbed 
at  evening  or  when  there  is  no  sun  on  the  glass.  So  long  as  the 
nights  are  cold,  straw  matting,  strips  of  old  carpet,  or  discarded 
bed  quilts  should  be  laid  over  the  sashes  after  sundown,  to  keep 
the  cosiness  in.  Young  plants,  like  human  babies,  require  plenty 
of  fresh  air  every  mild  day.  Raise  the  sashes  at  the  back  if  the 
temperature  in  the  hotbed  rises  above  seventy-five  in  the  middle 


Annuals  241 

of  the  day,  or  if  beads  of  excessive  moisture  form  on  them.  When 
the  sun  is  bright,  but  a  cold  wind  blows,  lay  a  strip  of  carpet  along 
the  open  sash  on  the  windward  side.  Vigorous  growth  depends 
upon  each  plant  having  room  enough  to  develop  and  plenty  of  air 
and  light.  Weeding  and  thinning  out  are  vitally  important  if 
the  young  plants  are  not  to  choke  one  another  to  death,  and  with 
the  usual  wasteful  method  of  too  thick  sowing  this  should  be  done 
I  early.  Many  of  the  crowded  seedlings  may  be  transplanted 
j  and  saved,  but  this  is  laborious,  and  labour  is  what  makes  garden- 
ing costly.  As  the  plants  rise  high  in  the  frames,  there  is  some 
danger  of  their  being  scorched.  Now  remove  the  glass  sashes 
when  the  sun  is  bright,  and  replace  them  during  the  day  with 
screens  made  of  laths  which  are  nailed  an  inch  and  a  half  apart 
across  strips  of  wood  cut  the  length  of  each  partition  of  the  hot- 
bed. If  the  nails  are  clinched  and  each  screen  is  well  braced  it 
will  last  many  seasons.  Or  a  coat  of  whitewash  on  the  glass 
may  serve  as  a  sun  screen.  Before  the  plants  are  removed  to  the 
i  open  ground  they  need  to  be  gradually  hardened;  and  finally, 
even  the  lath  screens  will  be  left  off.  It  will  be  observed  that  it 
is  something  of  a  nuisance  to  start  annuals  under  glass.  More 
and  more  we  depend  upon  the  hardier  ones  and  perennials  that 
may  be  grown  in  the  open  air. 

But  an  old  hotbed  that  has  lost  its  heat  has  not  lost  its  use- 
fulness by  any  means.  Perennial  and  biennial  seed  may  be  sown 
in  it  at  midsummer  for  next  year's  blooming;  foxgloves  and 
Canterbury  bells  especially  appreciate  its  shelter;  the  best  pansy 
plants,  although  really  perennials,  are  usually  treated  as  annuals, 
and  are  started  in  August  to  make  the  spring  garden  gay; 
violets  may  be  picked  from  the  frames  all  winter;  cuttings  of  roses, 
heliotrope,  carnations,  geraniums  and  begonias,  among  others, 


242  The  American  Flower  Garden 

root  most  surely  if  stuck  into  sand  within  the  bed's  protection;  tea- 
roses  and  other  tender  plants  may  be  stored  in  it  all  winter;  tulips, 
narcissus,  hyacinths  and  freesias  will  bloom  before  Easter  if  the 
bulbs  are  planted  in  the  bed  before  Christmas. 

A  coldframe  differs  from  an  old,  spent  "hotbed"  in  that 
it  never  has  had  manure  below  the  soil  to  supply  heat.  Frost 
is  kept  out  by  a  frame  of  boards  to  which  sashes  are  fitted.  This 
is  placed  directly  on  the  ground  —  no  foundation  walls  being 
necessary  —  over  a  bed  of  prepared  earth.  Night  covers  of 
carpet,  matting  or  quilts  laid  over  the  glass  are  kept  on  during 
severely  cold  days,  also;  and  manure  or  earth  is  banked  around 
the  outside  of  the  frame  where  it  rises  above  the  surface  of  the 
ground.  Nothing  that  cannot  survive  a  touch  of  frost  should 
ever  be  trusted  to  a  coldframe. 

Tender    annuals  like  the  warmth-loving  portulaca  may  not 
be  transplanted  from   the    hotbed,  nor  their  seeds  sown  in  the 
open   garden   until   the   ground    is    thoroughly   warmed.     Half- 
hardy  annuals,  such  as  the  deliciously  fragrant  tobacco,  the  asten 
and  petunias,  may  go  out  as  soon  as  all  danger  from  frost  is  ovei 
—  about  the  middle  of  May  in  the  vicinity  of  New  York  —  whei 
their  seed,  also,  may  be  sown  in  the  open  ground;  whereas  the 
hardier    annuals,    among   which    are    included    feverfew,    stocl 
marigolds,  calendula,  bachelor's  buttons,  calliopsis,  poppies  an( 
zinnias,  need  not  wait  for  fully  settled  weather.     Indeed,  man; 
seeds  of  hardy  annuals  you  will  find  have  lived  out  through  th< 
winter  where  they  were  scattered  in  the  garden  by  the  pareni 
plants  the  year  before,  and  these  self-sown  seedlings  will  nee< 
rearranging  early  in  the  spring  if  the  garden  is  not  to  look  unkempl 
Wet  the  plants  before  and  after  moving  them  at  evening  or  01 
a  cloudy  day,    and   protect   them    from   the   sun   with   inverter 


Annuals  243 

flowerpots,  newspapers,  umbrellas,  or  any  improvised  canopy  before 
they  begin  to  wilt.  Calliopsis,  sweet  alyssum,  cornflowers  and 
poppies,  to  name  a  few  lusty  monopolists,  will  so  quickly  overrun 
their  allotted  plots  and  come  up  where  they  are  not  wanted  that 
sometimes,  alas!  they  must  be  treated  with  the  discourtesy  shown 
weeds.  The  usual  trouble  with  some  plants  once  started  in  a 
garden  is  not  how  to  grow,  but  how  to  get  rid  of  the  charming 
things. 

If  the  amateur  gardener  can  think  of  no  better  way  to  grow 
annuals  than  to  cut  up  a  lawn  into  geometric  beds,  planting  circles 
within  circles,  or  row  after  row  of  ageratum,  lobelia,  coleus,  cigar 
plant,  geraniums,  dusty  miller,  asters,  and  salvia,  it  would  be 
better  for  the  appearance  of  his  place  that  he  never  grew  a  flower 
at  all.  A  lawn  may  be  framed  by  flowers,  but  cutting  it  up  into 
beds  not  only  contracts  its  apparent  size,  but  spots  it  over  with 
patches  of  unrelated  colour  that  mean  nothing  but  bad  taste  and 
hard  work.  Annuals  may  be  most  artistically  displayed  when 
disposed  in  much  the  same  way  that  perennials  are  —  planted 
in  front  of  shrubbery  or  hedges  that  serve  as  a  foil  to  their  rich, 
high  colours.  Indeed,  all  that  was  said  in  the  previous  chapter 
about  the  arrangement  of  perennials  applies  to  annuals  as  well. 
The  two  classes  of  plants  admirably  supplement  each  other  when 
used  together.  Oftentimes  annuals  will  supply  just  the  tints 
needed  to  bring  harmony  into  a  perennial  border.  Or,  they  may 
be  set  out  with  punctilious  nicety  in  formal  parterres  where  a 
continuous  performance,  a  vaudeville  show  of  flowers,  is  required, 
one  lot  of  plants  being  hustled  into  the  ground  after  another  as 
its  beauty  departs.  But  arranging  annuals  for  rapid  succession 
in  the  same  beds  throughout  a  season  is  work  that  the  novice  need 
not  attempt.  It  implies  a  staff  of  skilled  gardeners,  and  to  all 


244  The  American  Flower  Garden 

except  the  superfluously  rich  would  be  scarcely  worth  while. 
From  the  box-edged  plots  of  old-fashioned  gardens  certain  of  the 
hardy  annuals  were  rarely  absent.  Our  busy  grandmothers 
naturally  delighted  in  plants  that  sowed  themselves.  Some  such 
old  favourites  may  be  started  in  the  naturalistic  garden  where 
brilliant  shimmering  sheets  of  poppies  are  especially  charming. 
Cornflowers  may  be  naturalised  in  a  pasture  if  sown  in  early 
spring  with  rye  and  timothy.  Sprinkle  poppy  seed  there,  too. 
Seeds  of  a  few  annuals  will  be  scattered  among  the  rocks  in  the 
Alpine  garden  or  in  the  damp  rich  soil  beside  a  pond  or  brook. 
Now  that  the  lovely  wild-fringed  gentian  has  been  tamed,  and 
the  secret  of  growing  it  from  seed  has  been  disclosed,  it  may  adorn 
the  banks  of  our  water  gardens  where  it  loves  to  see  its  vivid  beauty 
reflected  in  a  mirror.  Like  the  cardinal  flower,  it  looks  out  of 
place  in  a  dressed  garden. 

Some  annuals  will  be  grown  because  they  furnish  a  wealth 
of  flowers  for  cutting  —  cornflowers  not  only  because  they  match 
the  Nankin  china  on  the  dining-table,  but  because  they  attract 
flocks  of  dainty  goldfinches  to  feast  upon  their  seed;  marigolds 
and  calendula  for  the  glitter  of  their  sunshine,  not  in  the  garden 
only,  but  in  the  house,  where  they  take  their  turn  with  the  indis- 
pensable nasturtiums  in  brightening  dark  rooms;  the  marvel- 
lously improved  zinnias,  some  of  whose  lambent,  glowing  flowers 
look  especially  well  in  burnished  copper  bowls  —  every  one  has 
his  or  her  favourites.  If  there  is  no  better  place  to  grow  sweet 
peas,  which  are  not  lovely  until  myriads  of  butterflies  seem  to 
be  fluttering  over  the  pea  brush  or  wire  netting  that  supports  the 
vines,  let  them  scramble  over  it  in  the  kitchen  garden  where 
their  succulent,  plebeian  relatives  would  feel  at  home.  When  a 
regiment  of  tall  Russian  sunflowers  is  drawn  up  as  if  in  battle 


ARE  NOT  SINGLE  WHITE  PETUNIAS  IN  THE  FOREGROUND  OF  SHRUBBERY  PREFERABLE 
TO  MAGENTA  ONES  IN  IRON  URNS  NEXT  SCARLET  GERANIUMS  ?  THEY  AFFORD  FRAGRANT 
AND  LASTING  FLOWERS  FOR  CUTTING 


THE  TOBACCO  PLANT,  WHICH  LOOKS  LIKE  A  FADED  BALL-ROOM  BEAUTY  BY  DAY, 
SHOULD  BE  VIEWED  FROM  A  LITTLE  DISTANCE  THEN;  BUT  AT  EVENING,  WHEN  THE 
FLOWERS  OPEN  AND  BECOME  BEAUTIFUL  AND  DELICIOUSLY  FRAGRANT  TOO,  ONE  WISHES 
THEM  NEAR  THE  HOUSE.  THEY  ARE  FLOWERS  FOR  THE  COMMUTER 


Annuals  245 

array  along  the  fence,  it  makes  a  decorative  screen,  and  after 
the  seed  is  ripe  enough  to  drop,  the  chickens  are  quite  happy  and 
presently  wax  fat.  Even  the  new  asters,  with  petals  almost  as 
long  as  a  chrysanthemum's,  are  not  too  aristocratic  to  live  in  a 
vegetable  garden,  if  necessary,  with  the  ten  weeks'  stock,  Chinese 
pinks,  nasturtiums,  marigolds  and  other  flowers  that  one  wants 
to  cut  from  daily. 

Those  who  have  little  time  to  devote  to  their  flowers  will  grow 
the  annuals  that  re-sow  themselves  in  out-of-the-way  corners  that 
may  be  safely  neglected  a  while,  but  not  close  to  the  house  where 
no  one  cares  to  display  untidiness.  Certain  annuals,  calliopsis 
and  gaillardia,  for  example,  will  be  chosen  for  sunny  places;  others, 
like  musk,  godetia,  pansies  and  nemophila  for  shady  ones,  where 
so  few  really  fine  flowers  feel  at  home;  some  drought  resisters, 
such  as  nasturtiums  and  zinnias,  for  dry  places;  others  than  the 
annual  chrysanthemum  and  calendula  because  you  have  only 
heavy  soil  to  offer  them;  still  others  because  they  like  a  cool 
northern  climate  which  suits  perfectly  the  wallflower,  annual 
phlox,  pansy,  stock,  marigold,  cornflower,  snapdragon,  sweet 
alyssum  and  candytuft.  These  will  bloom  after  frost.  Many 
tender  perennials  and  biennials  are  treated  as  annuals  in  this 
country.  Every  one  wants  mignonette  for  its  fragrance,  and  sows 
it  as  near  to  the  living-room  windows  as  may  be.  The  tobacco 
plant,  that  looks  rather  bedraggled  by  day,  opens  its  white  trumpets 
at  dusk  and  makes  the  garden  starry  at  night  —  but,  like  the 
evening  primrose,  which  also  resembles  a  faded  ball-room  beauty 
in  broad  daylight,  it  is  best  relegated  to  the  background  of  the 
border  where  the  datura  may  have  been  placed.  Their  fragrance 
will  fill  the  air.  Bartonia,  sweet  William,  stock  and  alyssum,  too, 
perfume  the  garden,  which  should  be  as  fragrant  as  it  is  beautiful 


246  The  American  Flower  Garden 

and,  if  it  is  to  be  enjoyed  at  evening  by  tired  commuters  from 
town,  let  white  and  yellow  flowers  abound.  These  shine  forth 
after  all  others  have  been  engulfed  by  darkness.  Really,  the 
commuter  should  be  far  more  considered  than  his  wife,  who  has 
the  whole  day  at  home  in  which  to  enjoy  the  garden. 

Probably  the  bedding-out  system,  once  so  popular,  albeit 
a  ridiculously  expensive  and  troublesome  treatment  for  annuals, 
marked  the  lowest  point  that  our  national  taste  in  gardening  will 
ever  reach.  It  flourished  when  flowers  for  stiff  pyramidal  bou- 
quets were  mounted  on  wire  and  toothpicks,  and  it  had  much  in 
common  with  this  method.  Here  and  there  we  still  see  geranium 
beds  edged  with  dusty  miller  in  the  exact  centre  of  little  lawns, 
the  name  of  a  railroad  station  laboriously  spelled  out  in  parti- 
coloured coleus  plants,  or  the  initials  of  a  newly  rich  owner  of  a 
country  place  displayed  near  its  entrance  where  all  who  run  may 
read.  But  public  taste  is  rapidly  improving:  clam-shells  and 
coleus  are  rapidly  disappearing  from  American  gardens. 

ANNUALS  THAT  EVERYBODY  CAN  GROW 

Plants  marked   thus  (*)  are  vines,  and  useful  for  screens,  etc.     While  the  flowering 
date  given  is  that  of  New  York,  it  is  also  practically  true  for  most  sections. 

AGERATUM  (Ageratum  conyzoides).  Purplish  blue;  8  inches.  Best 
blue  hardy  annual  for  edging;  blooms  3  months.  Start  in  heat  in 
March  for  early  flowers,  or  in  the  open  in  May. 

ALYSSUM,  SWEET  (Alyssum  maritimuni).  White.  8  inches.  Average 
soils  in  sun.  Fragrant.  July  till  frost  by  cutting  back  or  by  suc- 
cessional  sowings.  Grows  in  cold  regions  and  in  heavy  soils  also. 
Sow  in  heat  in  March;  outdoors  April  to  September. 

AMARANTHUS,  LOVE-LIES-BLEEDING  (Amaranthus  caudatus).  Scarlet  to 
yellow.  Warm,  sunny  places.  June;  3  to  5  feet.  The  best  of  the 

family,  but  too  gaudy  for  dainty  gardens.  ,  PRINCE  OF  WALES'S 

FEATHER  (A.  hypochondriacui).  Coarser,  with  purplish  heads  and 
foliage.  Coarse,  unlovely  plants. 


Annuals  247 

AMETHYST  (Brow  alii  a  demissa  or  data).  Blue,  violet,  white.  All  sum- 
mer; I \  feet.  Treat  as  half-hardy  annual,  although  it  may  be  sown 
in  open  border.  Grows  in  poorer  soil  than  most  others  of  a  tender 
nature.  Best  planted  out  May  15  from  heat.  Will  bloom  till  frost. 

ASTER,  CHINA  (Callistephus  hortensis).  White  to  purple  and  red,  not 
yellow.  August;  i  to  2  feet.  Best  large  flowered  plant  of  the  daisy 
type,  with  most  colours  and  types.  Sow  in  open  for  strongest  plants; 
but  for  early  bloom  in  frames  and  transplant.  Subject  to  a  subtle 
disease.  Use  rich  soil  and  wood  ashes. 

BABY'S  BREATH  (Gypsophila  elegans).  White,  sometimes  rosy.  May; 
I J  feet.  Loose,  much-branched  panicles.  Open,  rather  dry  places. 
Sow  in  succession. 

*BALLOON  VINE  (Cardiospermum  Halicacabuni).  Flowers  incon- 
spicuous. Inflated  fruits  an  inch  across,  freely  produced. 
Tender.  10  feet. 

BALSAM  (Irnpatiens  balsamina).  Red,  white,  yellow.  July  to  October; 
I  to  2  feet.  Flowers  borne  in  the  axils  of  the  leaves  all  along  the 
stalk.  Give  rich,  sandy  loam  in  full  sun,  with  abundant  moisture. 
Sow  outdoors  in  May.  Indoors  March,  April.  The  summer-sot 
of  old  gardens. 

BARTONIA  (Mentzelia  Lindleyi).  Yellow.  July  to  September;  I  to  3  feet. 
Flowers  2j  inches  across.  Fragrant  in  evening.  Sow  outdoors  in 
May. 

BELLFLOWER,  LARGE-STYLED  (Campanula  macrostyla).  Pale  purple, 
solitary  flowers,  i\  inches  across,  hairy  within.  Long,  protruding 
pistil,  which  is  brown  and  spindle  shaped  before  opening.  Plant 
I  to  2  feet.  Self-sown  seeds  sometimes  take  a  year  to  germinate. 

BLANKET  FLOWER  (Gaillardia  pulchella).  Yellow  and  rose  purple; 
Summer;  i  to  2  feet.  Flower  on  globose  head.  Give  light,  open, 
well-drained  soil.  The  form  known  as  Lorenziana  has  disc  flowers 
all  tubular. 

BUTTERFLY  FLOWER  (Schizanthus  pinnatus).  Violet,  lilac  and  yellow 
in  combination.  July;  2  feet.  Very  striking,  and  though  hardy, 
usually  grown  in  pots  indoors.  Good  garden  soil.  Many  named 
garden  forms.  One  of  the  best  variegated  flowers. 

CALIFORNIA  POPPY  (Eschscholzia  Californica).  Yellow.  June;  I  foot 
spreading.  Glaucous,  finely  cut  foliage.  Really  a  perennial;  can 
be  sown  very  early  but  does  not  transplant  well.  Sow  in  succession 


248  The  American  Flower  Garden 

in  the  open  ground,  and  in  fall  for  early  spring.  Most  soils, 
including  sandy. 

CALLIOPSIS.     See  p.  253. 

CANDYTUFT  (Iberis  amara).  Red,  white.  June  to  September;  6  inches. 
Sow  outdoors  April  to  July  every  two  weeks  for  succession,  and  in 
fall  for  early  spring.  Blooms  after  frost,  Resists  drought. 

CASTOR  BEAN  (Ricinus  communis).  For  subtropical  foliage  effect; 
3  to  8  feet,  enduring  till  frost  comes.  The  large  palmate  leaves  are 
the  boldest  among  all  the  annuals.  Plant  seed  where  to  grow,  and 
give  very  rich  soil  for  large  development. 

CATCHFLY  (Silene  Armeria,  S.  pendula).  Red,  white.  July  to  October; 
I  foot.  Prefers  sandy  loam  in  full  sun.  The  inflated  calyx  is  quite 
a  showy  part  of  the  flower.  Good  for  edging  and  for  rocky  places. 
Sow  in  May. 

CHRYSANTHEMUM  (Chrysanthemum  coronarium  and  C.  carinatum). 
July  to  August;  2  to  3  feet.  Former  is  white  and  yellow,  purple  disc; 
latter  all  pale  yellow  and  dwarfer.  Heavy  soil.  Good  for  cutting. 
Double  forms.  Good  also  for  pot  culture  and  bedding. 

CLARKIA  (Clarkiaelegans).  Purple  and  rose  to  white.  June  to  October; 
I  to  2  feet.  Light  soil  in  sun  or  half  shade.  Good  for  edging  and 
massing.  Blooms  8  weeks.  Late  sowings  give  flowers  after  frost. 
Sow  in  fall  for  early  spring.  One  of  the  commonest  plants. 

*CoBOEA   (Coboea  scandens).     Vine,    10  to  20  feet.     Flowers  greenish 

v  purple.  A  tender  perennial,  but  usually  treated  as  an  annual. 
Sow  seeds  in  heat  or  outdoors  in  moist,  rich  earth  and  edgewise. 

CORN,  JAPANESE  VARIEGATED  (Zea  Mays,  var.  Japonicus).  3  to  4  feet. 
Grown  for  its  strikingly  variegated  foliage,  white  and  green  in  longi- 
tudinal stripes.  Sow  like  ordinary  corn. 

CORNFLOWER  (Centaurea  cyanus).  Blue.  July  to  September,  i  to  2 
feet.  Thistle-like  heads  of  richest  blue.  The  best  annual  of  its 
colour.  Grows  with  the  poppy  and  makes  an  excellent  combination. 
Seed  relished  by  goldfinches. 

COSMOS  (C.  bipinnatus).  White,  pink,  red,  crimson.  August  to  October; 
7  to  10  feet.  The  best  tall  late  annual,  with  daisy-like  flowers. 

Sow  as  early  as  possible  after  frost,  in  not  too  rich,  sandy  soil.  , 

YELLOW  (C.  sulphureus).  Less  tall,  and  smaller  flowers.  These 
are  particularly  valuable  for  late  flowers.  Stake  early. 


Annuals  249 

COTTON  (Gossypium  herbaceuni).   Pale  yellow  with  dark  eye.   July;  3  feet. 

Large,  bold  leaves.  Warm  situations.  Will  not  grow  North.  Rich  soil. 
*CYPRESS  VINE   (Ipomosa  quamoclit).     Flowers   scarlet,  white.     June, 

July;  vine  10  to  20  feet.    A  dark  green,  very  feathery  foliage,  making 

dense  mass.     Scald  seeds  before  sowing.     Outdoors  May;   indoors 

March  and  April.     Water  freely. 
EVERLASTING  (Helichrysum  bracteatum).     Yellow  to  dull  crimson  and 

white.     August;    2  to  3  feet.     The  semi-double  daisy-like  flowers 

endure  indefinitely  when  cut  and  dried.    This  is  the  largest  flowered 

everlasting.     Others    are    Helipterum    roseum,    bright    pink,    flat; 

H .  Rhodanthe  or  Mangle  si,  bright  pink,  long;  Xeranthemum  annuum, 

purple.     All  of  easiest  culture  in  any  soil. 
FLAX  (Linum  grandifloruni).     Red.     July;    I  to  2  feet.     Colour  varies, 

but  the  glossy  appearance  is  very  attractive.     Flowers  I  to  I J  inches 

across.     Only  good  in  the  border,  fading  as  soon  as  cut,  and  killed 

by  first  frost.      (L.    usitatissimum).     Blue.     J   inch   across. 

Sow  in  open  border  in  May. 
GLOBE  AMARANTH  (Gomphrena  globosa).    Pink.    July;  i£  feet.    Numer-* 

ous  colour  varieties  in  the  trade,  also  dwarf  and   compact  forms. 

Button-like  heads  an  inch  in  diameter.     Everlasting. 
GODETIA    (CEnothera    amcenay    (E.    Whitneyi).      Red,    white.     July    to 

October;   i  to  2  feet.     Most  showy  large  flowered  annuals  for  shaded 

places.      Flowers  i  to  \\  inches  across  and  peculiar  satiny  lustre, 

larger  in  the  latter  species.     Does  also  in  sun.     Any  soil.     Sow  in 

May,  or  in  heat  in  March  for  June  flowers. 
HARE'S  TAIL  (Lagurus  ovatus).     Tuft  of  leaves  8  inches  high,  covered 

with  soft  whitish  down,  and  bending  downward.     Ideal  edging  plant. 

Flower  head  borne  several  inches  above  the  foliage,  in  silvery  white 

egg-like  tufts  an  inch  and  a  half  long. 
HEMP  (Cannabis  sativa,  var.  gigantea).    Greenish  flowers.     August;    10 

feet.     A  rough-looking  plant  for  bold  foliage  effects  or  screen.      Best 

to  sow  where  wanted,  but  may  be  started  in  heat  and  transplanted. 

Rich  moderately  moist  soil. 
*Hop,  JAPANESE  (Humulus  Japonicus,  var.  variegatus).     August,  a  vine 

10  to  20  feet.     Foliage  variously  streaked  and  splashed  with  white 

and  deeply  cut.     Sow  seeds  outdoors  in  May.     One  of  the  quickest 

growing  annual  vines.     Self-sows  freely. 


250  The  American  Flower  Garden 

*HYACINTH  BEAN  (Dolichos  Lablab).  Purple  or  magenta  and  white. 
July;  vine  twining  10  to  20  feet.  Resists  drought.  Flower  spikes 
borne  well  out  from  the  foliage  and  followed  by  similarly  coloured 
fruits.  Killed  by  first  frost. 

ICE  PLANT  (Mesembryanthemum  crystallinum).  White.  August  to 
September.  Trailing.  Grown  for  its  succulent  thick  foliage, 
covered  with  glistening  glands.  Thrives  in  dryest  situations. 

JOB'S  TEARS  (Coix  Lachryma-Jobi).  3  to  4  feet.  "Seeds"  make 
necklaces  for  children  to  cut  their  teeth  on.  The  plant  looks  like 
a  poor  corn-plant  when  growing.  Only  curious. 

COCKSCOMB  (Celosia  cristata).  Crimson.  I  foot.  The  flower  heads  are 
grown  into  a  monstrosity  something  like  a  rooster's  crest  8  inches 
to  i  foot  across.  Used  in  floral  beds  as  borders.  Sow  indoors  and 
plant  out  in  May.  Give  abundant  water.  Coarse,  common  plant. 

LARKSPUR,  ANNUAL  (Delphinium  Ajacis).  Eight  colours  from  white 
through  pink  and  turquoise  to  purest  blue.  August  to  September; 
ij  feet.  Sow  indoors  in  September  for  flowers  in  July.  Any  good 
light  soil  in  sun. 

LAV  ATE  RA  (Lavatera  trimestris).  Rose.  July;  3  to  6  feet.  Most 
refined  annual  of  the  mallow  family.  Flowers  4  inches  across.  Its 
tender  rose  colour  as  fine  as  that  of  best  pink  hollyhocks. 

LOBELIA  (Lobelia  Erinus).     Blue.     All  summer;   6  to  12  inches.     One 

of  the  most  popular  plants  for  edging.     ,  "CRYSTAL  PALACE" 

(L.  Erinus9  var.  compactd).  Best  of  the  species  for  edging.  Good 
garden  soil. 

LOVE-IN-A-MIST  (Nigella  Damascena).  White,  blue.  All  summer; 
2  feet.  Flowers  i  inch  across  nestling  in  finely  cut  fennel-like  foliage. 
Fruit  a  long  capsule.  Do  not  transplant.  Sow  for  succession  from 
early  March  and  in  early  fall  for  spring  bloom. 

MARIGOLD,  AFRICAN  (Tagetes  erecta).  Rich  orange  to  pale  lemon. 
August  to  frost;  2  feet.  Solid  globes  up  to  2^  inches  in  diameter, 

on  a  freely  branching  shrub-like  bush.  Very  pungent  odour.  , 

FRENCH  (7".  patula).  Yellowish  to  red-brown.  I  foot.  Darker 
foliage.  Good  bedder;  useful  for  edging.  Raise  in  open,  or  in 
pots  to  induce  earlier  bloom.  Give  rich  soil. 

MARIGOLD,  POT  (Calendula  officinalis).  Orange,  yellow.  July  to  Octo- 
ber; i  to  2  feet.  The  old-fashioned  herb.  Flowers  in  succession  for 


Annuals  251 

a  long  period.  Used  for  flavouring  soups.  Grows  anywhere,  but 
delights  in  warm,  rich  soil.  Sow  in  May.  Self-sows  usually. 

MIGNONETTE  (Reseda  odorata).  Greenish.  July  to  October;  i  foot. 
Grown  for  its  fragrance.  Flowers  in  spikes.  Does  not  transplant 
well.  Should  be  sown  in  permanent  place.  Sow  in  succession  from 
April  to  August,  outdoors.  Last  sowing  will  give  plants  for  winter 
flower. 

MOCK  CYPRESS  (Kochia  scoparia).  Grown  for  foliage.  A  dense,  much- 
branched,  neat  bush  2  to  2^  feet  high,  with  linear  branches,  turning 
scarlet  in  late  summer.  Sow  in  open  in  May  or  indoors  in  April. 
Plant  two  feet  apart  in  any  good  soil.  Good  for  temporary  hedges. 

*MOONFLOWER  (Ipomcea  Bona-nox).  White.  August  to  September;  15  to 
30  feet.  Most  rapid  growing  annual  vine.  Flowers  open  at  night; 
6  inches  across.  Sow  outdoors  May;  indoors  January  to  March. 
2  inches  deep. 

'MORNING  GLORY  (Ipomoea  purpurea).  Purple,  pink  and  blue  to  white. 
July  to  August;  vine,  10  to  20  feet.  Rapid  growing,  profuse 
flowering.  Do  not  sow  till  ground  is  warm.  Soak  seeds  in  water 
first.  Resows;  sometimes  becomes  a  weed. 

[USK  (Mimulus  moschatus).  Yellow,  mottled  and  dotted,  splashed 
brown.  July,  August;  J  to  i  foot.  A  perennial  creeper,  but  treated 
as  an  annual.  Give  cool,  moist  situation  and  shade,  when  it  is  one  of 
the  very  best  plants.  Sow  in  May,  on  the  surface  and  cover  lightly. 

*NASTURTIUM,  TALL  (Tropaolum  ma  jus).  ,  DWARF  (T.  minus). 

Scarlet,  yellow,  maroon;  July  to  October;  i  to  5  feet.  Will  not 
stand  frost.  Leaves  used  as  salad.  Good  for  screens,  for  rough 
places,  and  for  cut  flowers. 

NEMOPHILA  (Nemophila  insignis).  Pure  blue;  July,  August;  I  to  ij 
feet.  The  best  blue-flowered  annual,  blooming  over  a  long  season, 
and  having  bell-shaped  flowers  an  inch  across.  Moist  loam  in  partial 
shade.  Said  not  to  succeed  around  Boston. 

PANSY  (Viola  tricolor).  Purple,  blue,  white,  yellow.  May  to  October; 
\  to  i  foot.  For  early  flowers  sow  in  August  and  winter  with  protec- 
tion. Sow  outdoors  from  June  onward;  indoors  January  and 
February.  Best  spring  bedder. 

PETUNIA  (Petunia  hybrida).  Magenta,  claret,  white.  July  to  September; 
I  to  2  feet.  The  most  profuse  bloomer  and  sweet  scented,  but  the 


252  The  American  Flower  Garden 

type  is  a  frightful  colour  and  must  be  used  alone.  Resists  drought. 
Rather  weedy  habit.  Flowers  saucer-like,  2  inches  across.  Sow  on 
surface  in  May. 

PHLOX,  ANNUAL  (Phlox  Drummondi).  Red,  crimson,  white,  and  prim- 
rose. July  to  October;  i  foot.  Makes  a  spreading  bushy  tuft  with 
a  profusion  of  flowers  f  inch  across.  Sow  thinly  in  May  and  cut 
back  after  first  flowers  if  in  dry  soil  and  water  freely.  Self-sows  for 
succession. 

PINK,  CHINESE  (Dianthus  Chinensis,  var.  Heddewigi).  White,  rose, 
maroon.  August;  I  foot.  Flowers  i  inch  across,  fringed  and 
variously  variegated.  Warm,  well-drained  soil.  Sow  outdoors 
March,  April;  indoors  February  for  May  bloom. 

POPPY,  CORN  (Papaver  Rhceas).  Pink,  scarlet,  white.  August,  Septem- 
ber; J  to  2  feet.  More  refined  varieties  are  the  "Shirley  Poppies." 
Sow  thinly  on  cool  soil;  often  self-sows,  and  then  blooms  early. 

,  OPIUM  (P.  somniferuni).  3  feet.  Large  flowers  double  or 

single  in  great  variety  of  colours,  not  yellow.  Bold  glaucous  foliage. 

PORTULACA.     See  ROSE  Moss. 

ROSE  Moss  (Portulaca  grandi flora).  White,  red,  magenta.  July  to 
October;  6  to  9  inches.  Very  brilliant  flowers  I  inch  across,  flourish- 
ing on  dry  soils.  Leaves  succulent,  rounded.  Single  varieties  bloom 
earlier  than  doubles.  Scatter  seeds  on  the  surface  when  weather  is 
warm.  Most  gaudy  plants  for  very  dry  places. 

SALPIGLOSSIS  (S.  sinuata).  Shades  of  purple  and  blue  through  reds  and 
yellows  to  creamy  white,  and  variously  veined  and  mottled.  Sum- 
mer; i  to  2  feet.  Tubular  flowers,  with  large,  flat  expansion.  Very 
efFective  and  most  singular.  Treat  as  half  hardy,  sowing  in  heat. 
Any  good  soil. 

SAGE,  SCARLET  (Salvia  splendens).  Scarlet.  August;  2  feet.  A  tender 
perennial,  but  very  commonly  grown  as  a  hardy  annual.  The  spikes 
of  scarlet,  a  foot  long,  are  the  hottest  flowers  of  the  hot  season. 

SENSITIVE  PLANT  (Mimosa  pudica).  i  foot.  Grown  as  a  curiosity. 
Leaflets  fold  up  and  stalks  drop  when  touched  or  shaken.  Intro- 
duced from  tropical  America  in  1638,  but  is  easily  grown  from  seed 
sown  outdoors  in  May.  Flowers  a  small  ball  of  pink  filaments. 

SHELL  FLOWER  (Molucella  lavis).  White,  pink  tipped.  Fragrant. 
June,  July;  2  to  3  feet.  Shell-like  calyx  in  which  four  white  seeds 
nestle  like  eggs.  Gaping  flowers.  Self-sows.  Any  soil. 


Annuals  253 

CK,  TEN  WEEKS  (Matthiola  tncana,  var.  annua).  White,  pink, 
purple.  July;  i  foot.  Has  strong  clove  fragrance.  Flowers 
last  well.  Single  and  double  forms;  latter  particularly  use- 
ful. Sow  outdoors  in  May,  or  in  heat  in  March  for  June 
flowers. 

UNFLOWER  (Helianthus  annuus).  Yellow.  August;  3  to  12  feet. 
Individual  flowers  from  6  to  14  inches  across,  like  huge  daisies.  A 
valuable  quick-growing  screen  plant,  good  on  any  soil.  Plant  seeds 
two  inches  deep. 

SWAN  RIVER  DAISY  (Br  achy  come  iberidi folia).  Pale  blue  or  white,  I  inch 
across.  6  inches  to  I  foot.  Like  an  aster,  but  flowering  earlier. 
Good  for  cutting.  Start  in  heat  for  very  early  bloom. 

SWEET  SCABIOUS  (Scabiosa  air  o  pur  pure  a).  Dark  purple,  rose,  white. 
July  to  October;  2  feet.  Like  large  double  daisies.  Good  for 
cutting.  Any  soil. 

SWEET  SULTAN  (Centaurea  moschata).  Yellow,  white,  or  purple;  July, 
August;  2  feet.  Musk-scented.  Large  heads  like  giant  cornflowers. 
C.  Margarita,  pure  white,  is  a  famous  modern  strain.  Does  not 
transplant  easily.  Lasts  10  days.  Sow  outdoors  in  May. 

*SwEET  PEA  (Lathyrus  odoratus).  Various  colours;  July  to  October; 
3  to  6  feet.  Most  popular  fragrant  annuals  for  cutting.  Modern 
improved  forms  greatly  superior.  Deeply  trenched,  heavy  soil. 
Excellent  in  cooler  climates.  Make  three  sowings  for  succession, 
the  last  between  the  other  two  for  shade.  Sow  in  September  for 
early  flowers. 

TARWEED  (Madia  elegans).  Yellow.  July  to  October;  I  to  2  feet. 
Best  yellow  annual  for  shaded  places.  Flowers  open  morning  and 
evening.  Plant  has  graceful  open  habit.  Sow  in  May. 

TICKSEED,  CALLIOPSIS  (Coreopsis  tinctoria).  Yellow  rays  with  dark 
maroon  base.  June,  July,  and  later;  I  to  3  feet.  One  of  the  best 
showy,  easily  grown  annuals  for  cutting.  Any  soil. 

TOBACCO  (Nicotiana  Tabacum).  Red,  white.  July,  August;  3  to  5  feet. 
Most  effective  as  a  bold  screen  for  its  large  leaves.  Flowers  4  to  6 

inches   long,   but  not  otherwise  showy.     (AT",  alata).     Showy 

white  flowers,  fragrant,  opening  at  night.     (N.  Sanderce).     Is 

similar,  but  in  various  colours,  effective  against  dark  background. 
Sow  on  surface  in  May. 


254  The  American  Flower  Garden 

WALLFLOWER  (Chieranthus  Chieri).  Early  blooming  forms  of  this 
perennial  are  grown  as  annuals.  May  be  grown  easily  in  a  moist 
soil  with  moderate  shade. 

WISHBONE  FLOWER  (Torenia  Fourniert).  Yellow,  blue,  purple.  July 
to  October;  6  inches.  A  low,  bushy,  floriferous  plant  for  bedding 
and  a  good  substitute  for  the  pansy.  Tender;  sow  indoors  in  March 
or  April. 

ZINNIA  (Zinnia  elegans).  Red,  scarlet,  yellow,  magenta  and  inter- 
mediate tints.  July  to  November;  2  feet.  Individual  flowers  2  to 
3  inches  across.  The  best  showy  annual  for  very  late  bloom. 
Thrives  in  any  deep,  rich  soil.  Very  effective  for  distant  masses. 
Endures  drought  and  some  frost.  Get  well-selected  strains  for 
pure  colours,  avoiding  magenta  and  greenish  tinges.  Sow  outside 
in  May;  or  indoors  in  March.  Transplants  easily. 

NOTE. — The  following  true  perennials  may  be  treated  as  annuals  bloom- 
ing the  first  year  from  seed  sown  annually  in  March:  Snapdragon, 
Cupid's  Dart,  Mouse-eared  Chickweed,  Perennial  Tickseed,  Larkspur, 
Sweet  William,  Scotch  Pink,  Moldavian  Balm,  Blanket  Flower,  Horned 
Poppy,  French  Honeysuckle,  Rocket,  Sunset  Hibiscus,  Man-of-the 
Earth,  Column  Flower,  Flax,  Honesty,  Musk  Mallow,  Monkey  Flower, 
Forget-me-not,  Iceland  Poppy,  Polyanthus,  Sidalcea. 


BULBS,  TUBEROUS  PLANTS  AND 
ORNAMENTAL  GRASSES 


"  Nature  will  have  none  of  your  false  systems.  She  is  supreme,  absolute  as 
is  her  Author.  She  repudiates  our  foolishness,  and  rudely  dispels  our  illusions. 
Work  with  her  and  she  responds,  aids,  and  rewards  us  in  proportion  to  the  worth  of 
our  endeavours',  but  if  we  would  outwit  her,  coerce  or  restrain  her  action,  and 
falsify  her  teaching,  at  once  she  gives  us  the  lie  by  the  sterility,  destruction,  and 
death  of  everything  we  have  sought  to  create  in  defiance  of  her  laws." 

—  LAMARTINE:  "Address  to  Gardeners" 


CHAPTER  XIII 

BULBS,    TUBEROUS     PLANTS     AND     ORNAMENTAL     GRASSES 

HERE  are  plants  for  every  place  and  purpose  —  beauty 
for  formal  beds  and  borders,  for  the  water  garden,  the 
rockery,  the  meadows,  the  woodland,  and  especially  for 
the  wild  spots  on  our  grounds,  for  wherever  we  would  impose  our 
ideals  upon  the  land  we  control.  Let  us  not  be  restrained  by 
the  definitions  of  the  classifiers.  The  botanist  would  perhaps 
name  a  tulip  as  the  most  familiar  example  of  a  bulb,  being  "built 
up  of  a  series  of  fleshy  scales."  He  will  tell  you  that  the  gladiolus 
grows  from  a  corm,  the  canna  from  a  tuber,  and  the  iris  from  a 
rhizome,  and  has  pity  in  his  eye  for  you  if  you  refer  to  any  one  of 
these  as  a  root.  But  to  the  flower-lover,  plants  that  store  up  in 
a  bulb  or  any  of  these  fleshy  "roots"  during  one  growing  season 
the  food  that  is  to  last  them  well  through  the  next  season  of  bloom, 
are  a  class  by  themselves,  sufficiently  distinct,  in  his  mind  at  least, 
for  all  practical  purposes. 

Because  they  have  so  much  latent  beauty  stored  when  we 
receive  them  from  the  dealer,  and  are  so  little  dependent,  at  first, 
upon  the  expert  skill  of  a  gardener,  bulbs  of  one  kind  or  another 
are  grown  by  every  one.  Some  are  of  the  simplest  culture;  some 
cost  as  little  as  three  for  a  cent;  some  are  among  the  most  costly 
indulgences  of  specialists;  others  are  more  popular  than  any  other 
plants  in  the  trade. 

Probably  there  will  never  again  be  a  feverish  craze  for  tulips 
such  as  once  attacked  the  phlegmatic  Dutch ;  certainly  Americans 
are  not  wont  to  weigh  gold  in  the  balance  for  a  Semper  Augustus 

257 


258  The  American  Flower  Garden 

or  any  bulb  however  choice.  "La  Tulipe  Noire"  is  not  much 
called  for  in  our  public  libraries.  But  we  grow  tulips  by 
the  million,  even  if  we  don't  mortgage  our  property  to  secure 
the  rarest. 

Not  having  to  forage  for  food  early  in  the  spring  before  they 
can  bloom  —  their  larders  having  been  filled  after  blossoming  the 
previous  year  —  many  bulbs  are  prepared  to  rush  into  flower  at 
the  break-up  of  winter.  Like  friends  in  need,  they  come  when 
most  wanted.  A  flower  may  be  insignificant  in  itself,  but  if  it 
appear  when  trees  are  bare  and  winds  are  raw,  when  the  earth  is 
slushy  and  the  muddy  roads  are  fluid  and  bottomless,  how  much 
we  prize  it!  The  fragile  little  white  snowdrop  "with  heart-shaped 
seal  of  green,"  nodding  from  its  slender  stem  in  the  meadow,  is 
not  impressive,  it  is  true;  but  because  it  is  the  very  earliest  flower 
cultivated  —  only  the  hepatica  in  Nature's  garden  being  con- 
temporary —  it  is  dear  to  the  hearts  of  the  people.  There  is  a 
so-called  giant  snowdrop  (with  petals  nearly  an  inch  long)  which 
is  more  effective  than  its  little  sister  of  the  snows,  but  it  blooms 
no  earlier  than  the  crocus,  and  never  will  be  so  beloved  as  the 
first  flower.  Planted  in  colonies  and  left  to  care  for  themselves, 
snowdrops  succeed  best  in  partially  shady  places,  being  one  of 
the  few  bulbs  that  will  bloom  under  trees. 

After  the  snowdrop  comes  the  reign  of  blue  and  purple.  In 
the  new  grass,  Siberian  squills,  small  flowers  of  an  intense  blue, 
like  Meissen  china,  give  one  a  thrill  of  pleasure  the  first  day 
that  there  is  a  feeling  of  spring  in  the  air.  Glory-of-the-snow 
(Chinodoxa)  makes  spots  of  beauty  on  the  earth  where  snow- 
drifts lately  lay,  when  the  first  bluebird  shows  a  glint  of  the  heavenly 
colour,  too,  as  he  flies  about  the  orchard  looking  for  a  nesting  hole. 
Other  early  bulbs  may  be  foregone,  but  purple,  lavender,  white 


Bulbs,  Tuberous  Plants  and  Grasses  259 

and  yellow  crocuses,  everyone  who  has  spring  flowers  at  all  must 
have.  At  three  dollars  a  thousand,  who  would  not  spangle  his 
lawn  with  them  and  "paint  the  meadows  with  delight"  ?  "Bulbs 
have  a  mission  in  life,"  says  Wilhelm  Miller.  "They  seem  to 
have  been  divinely  appointed  to  entertain  us  from  the  moment 
when  winter  becomes  too  tedious  for  words  until  the  trees  leaf 
out  and  spring  strikes  high  C." 

Where  shall  the  small  early  bulbs  be  planted  ?  Flowers  that 
must  withstand  buffeting  spring  winds  do  not  erect  themselves  on 
tall  stems  only  to  be  snapped  off,  but  hug  the  earth.  They  appre- 
ciate shelter.  Too  inconspicuous  and  ineffective  to  be  planted 
singly  or  even  by  dozens,  but  happily  cheap  enough  to  be  used 
by  the  hundred  or  even  by  the  thousand  on  large  estates,  snow- 
drops, scillas,  crocuses,  grape  hyacinths,  and  the  lovely  little 
star  of  Bethlehem,  a  late  bloomer,  perhaps  never  look  so  well  as 
when  naturalised  in  the  grass.  They  seem  to  require  the  green 
background.  Seen  against  bare  earth  in  the  flower  border  they 
lose  half  their  charm.  Their  narrow,  pointed  leaves,  shaped 
like  knife  blades  to  cut  the  wind  as  it  whistles  harmlessly  by, 
can  scarcely  be  told  from  the  surrounding  grass.  Later  in  the 
summer,  after  the  bulbs  have  stored  up  potential  energy  and 
beauty  for  another  year  and  prepared  for  a  long  rest,  the  leaves 
dry  up  and  disappear.  But  woe  betide  the  bulbs  if  a  mowing- 
machine  cuts  off  the  leaves  while  they  are  still  working!  Who- 
ever would  see  his  lawn  gay  with  crocuses  in  March  must  defer 
cutting  it  for  a  month.  Even  so,  crocuses  die  out  after  a  few 
years  when  planted  among  grass,  whereas  they  multiply  in  a 
garden.  On  the  other  hand,  the  star  of  Bethlehem  might  run 
out  the  grass  from  a  lawn  and  should  never  be  planted  in  one. 
It  spreads  prodigiously.  A  gently  sloping,  half-shaded  bank  or 


260  The  American  Flower  Garden 

a  patch  of  meadow  will  be  covered  with  the  thick  mat  of  its  white- 
ribbed  green  leaves  and  myriads  of  green-ribbed  white  stars. 
While  we  may  scarcely  hope  to  have  such  sheets  of  the  lovely,  misty, 
lavender-blue  wood  hyacinths  (Scilla  festalis  or  nutans)  as  Nature 
spreads  in  wild  places  throughout  Europe,  the  bulbs  are  cheap 
enough  to  be  tested  in  everybody's  moist  open  woods  and  meadows. 
More  intense  effects  of  blue,  lavender,  and  purple  may  be  had 
from  colonies  of  grape  hyacinths,  squills,  chionodoxa,  quamash, 
and  crocuses.  The  grape  hyacinth,  known  as  "Heavenly  Blue," 
makes  patches  of  charming  colour  on  a  shady  bank  near  a  stream. 

In  October,  when  bulbs  come  from  the  dealer  —  and  they 
deteriorate  if  left  long  out  of  the  ground  —  stand  in  the  centre  of 
the  bit  of  land  where  you  would  naturalise  them,  toss  them  from 
the  bag  in  all  directions,  some  near,  some  far,  and  plant  them 
where  they  fall.  Regularity,  rows,  completely  spoil  the  effect. 
The  smallest  bulbs  may  lie  only  an  inch  or  two  inches  apart. 
A  strong  tin  apple  corer  will  cut  out  holes  to  drop  them  in,  or  a 
dibber,  made  from  an  old  spade  handle  whittled  to  a  point,  is 
often  used.  This,  however,  packs  the  surrounding  earth  hard, 
and  each  hole  should  be  filled  with  good  soil.  A  spud  is  convenient 
for  the  smallest  bulbs  only.  For  large  ones  a  trowel  is  necessary 
unless  one  be  the  happy  possessor  of  an  English  bulb-planting  tool. 
Some  gardeners  turn  back  a  bit  of  sod  on  the  corner  of  their  spade, 
drop  the  bulb  in  the  opening  and  replace  the  sod,  leaving  no  trace  of 
their  operations  behind  them  until  the  flowers  push  their  way 
through  in  spring. 

How  bare  would  the  rock  garden  be  without  the  cheerful 
spring  bulbs!  Whoever  has  one  will  fill  its  gray  crevices  with 
their  brightness  and  secure  a  long  succession  of  bloom  by  placing 
some  in  sheltered  sunny  places,  under  the  lee  of  a  sombre  stone 


CHEERFUL    YELLOW    CROCUSES    GLITTERING    ON   A    LAWN    IN    EARLY   SPRING 


EMPEROR    DAFFODILS    ALONG    AN    ENTRANCE    DRIVE    WHERE    THE    POET'S    NARCISSUS    WILL 
SPEEDILY  FOLLOW  AND  REPLACE  THEM.       BULBS  DISCARDED  FROM  A  HOTHOUSE  WERE  USED 


Bulbs,  Tuberous  Plants  and  Grasses  261 

that  acts  also  as  a  foil  for  their  gaiety,  some  on  cold  northern 
slopes.  Or,  some  of  the  earliest  flowering  bulbs  may  be  planted 
between  rows  of  tulips  and  hyacinths  in  a  formal  bed,  for  they 
have  acted  their  little  part  and  modestly  withdrawn  from  the  stage 
by  the  time  those  prime  donne  appear.  Clumps  of  pansies  and 
hardy  violets,  set  out  at  intervals  of  two  feet  among  the  daffodils 
and  tulips  in  the  foreground  of  the  perennial  border  in  March,  do 
not  harm  the  bulbs,  but  soon  spread  and  carpet  the  bare  earth 
about  them.  Wherever  there  is  room  for  a  weed  to  grow  we  may 
hope  to  have  a  better  plant. 

It  was  William  Wordsworth,  exponent  of  the  simple  life,  who 
first  put  the  idea  of  growing  daffodils  by  the  multitude  into  our 
innocent  heads: 

"Continuous  as  the  stars  that  shine 
And  twinkle  in  the  Miiky  Way, 
They  stretch  in  never-ending  line 
Along  the  margin  of  the  bay; 
Ten  thousand  saw  I  at  a  glance 
Tossing  their  heads  in  sprightly  dance." 

How  can  we  content  ourselves  with  less,  having  this  inspiring 
picture  ever  in  mind  ?  Both  the  yellow,  long  trumpeted  daffodil 
and  the  fragrant  white  narcissus  quickly  colonise  from  compara- 
tively small  beginnings.  A  thousand  poet's  narcissus  may  be 
bought  for  five  dollars  or  even  less.  Does  the  masculine  amateur 
think  it  worth  while  to  sacrifice  a  box  of  cigars  for  their  possession, 
if  need  be,  or  the  feminine  gardener  to  trim  over  her  last  year's  hat 
and  spend  the  price  of  a  new  one  on  permanent  joy  ?  There  are 
many  ways  of  reconciling  delightful  extravagances  to  one's  con- 
science. Every  gardener  worthy  the  name  has  tried  a  few  and 
thereby  earned  the  right  to  be  charitable  in  his  judgment.  Moham- 
med said:  "He  that  hath  two  cakes  of  bread,  let  him  sell  one  of 


262  The  American  Flower  Garden 

them  —  for  bread  is  only  food  for  the  body,  but  the  narcissus  is 
food  for  the  soul."  Surely  we  cannot  do  less  than  the  heathen  ? 
But  if,  after  we  have  sold  our  bread,  we  have  not  enough  coin 
in  our  purse  to  buy  a  quantity  of  daffodils  at  the  regular  rates, 
what  then  ?  Approach  a  florist  who  forces  them  under  glass  on 
a  large  scale  for  cut  flowers  only.  He  needs  fresh  bulbs  for  forcing, 
but  the  old  bulbs  that  he  is  glad  to  sell  you  at  a  bargain,  if  put  into 
the  ground  as  early  as  it  can  be  worked  in  spring,  recover  their 
strength  and  bloom  gloriously  the  following  year  and  probably 
ever  after.  There  is  a  field  in  New  Jersey  where  the  daffodils 
that  once  surrounded  an  old  garden  have  been  multiplying  without 
anybody's  care  for  over  a  hundred  years. 

Three  distinct  types  of  narcissus,  each  class  with  seemingly 
innumerable  representatives,  bewilder  the  novice  who  would  make 
a  choice.  First  there  are  the  hardy  yellow  daffodils,  both  the 
single  long  trumpeted  ones  and  the  double  forms  with  many 
yellow  petticoats  overlapping;  second,  the  white  or  yellow  flowered, 
fragrant  type  to  which  the  poet's  narcissus  and  the  sweet-scented 
campernelle  and  jonquil  belong;  and  third,  the  Tazetta  type,  with 
many  flowers  on  a  stem,  most  commonly  represented  by  the 
Chinese  sacred  "lily"  grown  by  many  Celestials  in  bowls  filled 
with  pebbles  and  water  in  their  laundry  windows.  The  class  last 
named  has  not  afforded  hardy  bulbs  for  the  garden  until  recently. 
Now,  both  white  and  yellow  flowered  ones  —  true  polyanthus 
narcissus  —  may  be  safely  grown  in  the  open  ground  so  far  North 
as  Boston.  The  name  narcissus,  though  the  botanical  title  of 
the  whole  family,  is  popularly  applied  only  to  the  small-cupped 
species;  and  the  name  daffodil,  in  popular  parlance,  has  come  to 
include  all  the  members  of  the  family  with  long  or  medium 
trumpets. 


Bulbs,  Tuberous  Plants  and  Grasses  263 

Naturalised,  scattered  colonies  of  these  incomparable  flowers 
beside  little  lakes,  in  meadows,  along  woodland  borders,  old  stone 
walls  and  entrance  drives  would  seem  to  be  the  ideal  way  of  plant- 
ing them,  but  in  no  situation,  perhaps,  could  they  be  less  than 
lovely.  When  left  alone  they  will  protect  themselves  against 
encroachment,  even  of  quack  grass,  and  steadily  increase  in  quan- 
tity, sometimes  even  in  quality,  of  bloom.  Do  not  lift  and  divide  the 
bulbs  until  the  flowers  show  by  deterioration  that  they  are  over- 
crowded. Planted  in  a  shrubbery  border  where  a  flowing  ribbon 
of  daffodils  at  its  edge  is  a  cheerful  sight  indeed  on  an  April  morn- 
ing, the  bulbs  need  a  top  dressing  of  fertiliser  now  and  then  to 
replace  nourishment  stolen  by  the  shrubs.  Daffodils  enliven  the 
perennial  borders,  too,  where,  however,  their  presence  is  apt  to 
be  forgotten  after  their  leaves  die  off,  and  injury  may  be  done 
the  bulbs  if  a  fork  be  used  among  the  plants.  Moreover,  they 
leave  bare  patches  after  them.  Some  gardeners  sow  sweet  alyssum, 
mignonette  or  some  other  low-growing  annual  over  them  to  carpet 
their  area  with  flowers  during  the  summer  and  autumn.  A 
wreath  of  poet's  narcissus  around  a  fountain,  where  they  peeped 
over  the  coping  as  if  to  see  their  exquisite  reflection  in  the  mirror- 
like  pool,  has  reconciled  the  most  skeptical  unbeliever  to  their  use 
in  a  formal  garden.  Why,  our  grandmothers'  gardens  were 
always  filled  with  them!  There  were  tufts  of  gay  daffodils  in  the 
corners  of  the  parterres,  and  lines  of  them  drawn  up,  as  if  in 
battle  array,  behind  the  boxwood  breastworks.  Since  ever  they 
were  known  they  have  been  beloved.  Shakespeare  delighted  in 
them.  There  are  rabid  collectors  in  England  to-day  who  give 
two  thousand  dollars  or  more  for  the  exclusive  ownership  of  a 
new  choice  variety  represented  by  perhaps  a  half-dozen  bulbs. 
The  hardy  narcissus  and  daffodils  will  grow  wherever  grass 


264  The  American  Flower  Garden 

will.  Some  will  be  planted  in  out-of-the  way  corners  in  early  and 
late  situations  for  a  succession  of  bloom  to  cut  for  house  decoration. 
If  skilfully  selected  and  situated,  daffodils  may  have  their  season 
extended  over  three  months.  Any  good  garden  soil  pleases  them 
well,  but  they  have  a  preference  for  deep,  air-penetrated  earth 
made  cool  with  humus  —  never  with  manure  —  over  a  pervious 
subsoil  where  dampness  will  not  remain  to  rot  their  roots,  and 
where  they  have  partial  shade.  If  there  be  as  much  of  a  tree  below 
ground  as  above  it,  so  there  is  as  much  of  a  plant  that  we  never 
see  as  there  is  to  delight  the  eye,  and  we  must  not  forget  the  fact 
in  October  when  we  drop  bulbs  into  their  permanent  home.  In 
average  soil,  a  bulb  will  be  buried  to  a  depth  equal  to  its  circum- 
ference, which  would  bring  a  poet's  narcissus  or  a  trumpet 
daffodil  about  four  inches  below  the  surface.  See  that  the  soil  is 
good  to  at  least  twice  that  depth  below  the  bulb.  In  light,  sandy 
soils  six  inches  would  be  a  safer  depth  to  bury  it.  It  is  wise  to 
plant  bulbs  deeply  in  any  case,  especially  in  cold  climates  or 
exposed  situations.  Their  flowers  come  later  than  those  of  the 
shallow-bedded  ones,  it  is  true,  but  they  are  usually  larger  and  of 
a  stouter  substance. 

Dumpy,  double  Hobokenese  hyacinths  are  as  often  made 
into  floral  patchwork,  perhaps,  as  the  long-suffering  tulips.  They 
are  the  stiff est  of  the  bulbous  flowers,  but  they  come  in  some 
exquisitely  delicate  tints,  and  the  single  ones  especially  are  undeni- 
ably lovely.  In  the  garden  their  fragrance  is  delicious;  in  the 
house  their  heavy  sweetness  cloys.  Within  a  spaced  garden,  formal 
hyacinth  beds  of  one  or  at  most  two  pure,  harmonious  colours 
are  effective,  but  to  cut  up  a  lawn  into  geometric  patterns  laid 
on  in  gaudy  colours  is  a  misuse  of  bulb  beauty  that  displays  total 
ignorance  of  the  laws  of  garden  composition.  For  high-grade 


Bulbs,  Tuberous  Plants  and  Grasses  265 

bedding,  hyacinth  bulbs  can  be  used  only  once,  which  makes 
them  costly.  In  any  case  they  should  be  lifted  after  they  have 
ripened  and  be  stored  until  autumn  in  a  cool  cellar. 

In  some  of  our  public  parks,  planted  by  politicians  to  please 
the  ignorant  masses,  one  sees  tulip  beds  that  are  amazing  —  with 
sharply  contrasted  zones  of  colour  laid  on  in  patterns  that  are 
about  as  decorative  on  a  lawn  as  patches  of  gay  oilcloth.  Similar 
beds,  intensified  by  chromo  lithography,  appear  in  the  catalogues 
and  serve  as  models,  alas!  for  gardeners  throughout  the  length 
and  breadth  of  the  land.  Let  it  be  remembered  that  it  was  the 
gentle  Linnaeus  who  dubbed  double  flowers  "vegetable  monsters." 
Among  true  tulip  lovers  the  double  forms,  laboriously  obtained 
by  the  hybridiser,  find  little  favour.  They  have  no  authority  from 
Nature  for  their  abnormalities,  whereas  every  line  of  the  single, 
long-stemmed,  pointed-petalled  kinds  is  full  of  exquisite  grace. 
They  are  the  natural  forms  restored,  perfected.  Only  single  tulips 
can  ever  be  fittingly  naturalised  —  tulips  whose  clear  colour, 
pointed  petals,  and  dark  spot  at  their  base  indicate  nearness  to  the 
beautiful  wild  type.  Gesnerianas  may  be  had  for  fifteen  dollars 
a  thousand.  The  effect  of  that  number  of  majors,  of  brilliant,  rich 
red  blotched  with  black  at  the  bottom  of  their  cup,  is  simply  superb 
and,  when  naturalised  among  the  lush  May  grass,  cannot  be 
rivalled  even  by  the  gorgeous  Oriental  poppies  which  sulk  under 
such  treatment.  For  naturalising  in  open  woods  and  half-shaded 
places,  try  T.  sylvestris,  a  pale  yellow,  pointed-petalled  flower. 

Early  flowering  tulips  commend  themselves  not  only 
because  they  come  at  the  most  ecstatic  season  of  the  year,  and  set  the 
garden  ablaze  with  rich  colour  when  fires  are  still  comfortable 
indoors,  but  because  they  have  finished  their  show  when  it  is  time 
to  transplant  annuals  from  the  hotbeds  to  the  garden.  The  bulbs 


266  The  American  Flower  Garden 

may  be  lifted  and  replanted  in  an  out-of-the-way  corner  to  mature 
when  their  place  in  the  beds  is  wanted  for  summer  bloomers 
like  asters  and  heliotrope.  As  has  been  pointed  out,  the  bedding 
system  means  constant  work,  which  spells  expense.  It  implies 
skilled  gardeners  if  a  pyrotechnic  display  of  flowers  is  to  be  kept 
up  in  the  same  beds  of  a  large  garden  from  frost  to  frost.  Many 
gardeners,  however,  use  companion  crops  of  early  tulips  and  some 
pretty  shallow-rooted  annual  or  perennial  like  forget-me-not  in 
alternate  rows.  Masses  of  little  turquoise-blue  flowers  overspread 
the  withering  tulips  while  the  bulbs  are  ripening  undisturbed 
below. 

It  was  a  happy  day  for  gardeners  when,  in  1559,  the  showy 
late  tulip  was  brought  from  Persia  to  Constantinople,  from  whence 
it  was  introduced  throughout  Europe.  Innumerable  beautiful 
varieties  have  arisen  from  the  original  form.  Tulip  seed  produces 
only  self-coloured  flowers ;  but  after  seven  to  ten  years  of  cultivation 
or,  rarely,  even  longer,  a  wonderful  change  comes  over  them. 
Suddenly  they  assume  entirely  new  colours  which  may  be  solid,  or 
striped,  or  flamed,  or  feathered.  Now  the  tulips  are  said  to  be 
rectified.  For  the  most  part  they  are  as  variegated  as  Harlequin. 
The  pencillings  of  a  flamed  tulip  extend  from  the  margin  of  the 
petal  to  its  base;  in  a  feathered  tulip  the  markings  do  not  extend 
so  far.  However  much  we  may  admire  the  delicate  shadings  and 
traceries  of  an  individual  flower  —  and  each  rectified  one  is  a 
special  study  —  the  self-coloured  ones  are  more  effective  for 
massing.  Large  May  tulips  are  better  for  hardy  borders  than  the 
small  early  ones,  not  only  because  they  are  more  effective,  but 
because  they  may  be  left  undisturbed  in  the  ground  for  four  or 
five  years  without  deteriorating.  And  they  furnish  better  cut 
flowers,  for  their  stems  are  long  and  strong. 


Bulbs,  Tuberous  Plants  and  Grasses  267 

When  arranging  the  stiff,  upright  tulips,  daffodils,  irises, 
gladioli,  and  other  flowers  for  that  matter,  let  us  learn  of  the 
Japanese  to  simulate  their  natural  attitude.  Secure  a  flat  ribbon 
of  lead  less  than  two  inches  wide  from  the  plumber,  cut  it  into  ten- 
inch  lengths,  lay  one  on  its  edge  in  the  bottom  of  a  bowl  and  pinch 
the  pliable  lead  around  the  stems  of  the  flowers  with  a  few  leaves 
about  them.  Or,  pebbles  may  be  used  to  hold  them  upright.  They 
appear  to  be  growing  in  water.  Invisible  glass  discs,  perforated 
to  hold  flower  stems,  can  be  bought  to  place  in  the  bottom  of 
silver,  glass  or  china  dishes  for  the  centre  of  the  dining-table. 

Darwins,  many  of  them  with  stems  two  feet  tall,  are  an 
aristocratic  race  of  late  tulips,  mostly  self-coloured  and  with  a 
"tender  bloom  like  cold  gravy"  overspreading  and  gently  sub- 
duing them.  They,  too,  may  be  left  undisturbed  for  years. 
Bizarres  have  variegated  colours,  the  markings  generally  brown  or 
red  on  a  yellow  ground.  Bybloemen  tulips  have  violet  or  rose 
marking  on  a  white  ground.  Parrots  are  wonderfully  marked 
and  fringed  late  tulips,  with  more  or  less  green  among  their  yellow 
or  red  streaks,  and  so  large  that  the  weak  stems  cannot  hold  the 
flowers  erect.  This  is  their  lamentable  defect.  But  they  are 
curious  and  gorgeous.  Never  buy  bargain  lots  of  mixed  tulips. 
Fewer  named  bulbs  of  a  high  grade  give  far  more  pleasure  and 
satisfaction. 

In  every  old-fashioned  garden  one  used  to  see  the  fritillary  or 
crown  imperial  erect  its  tall  stem,  bearing  near  the  top  a  graceful 
umbel  of  red,  yellow,  or  orange  bell-shaped  flowers  with  a  tuft 
of  foliage  above  them.  Quaint  old  Gerarde  praised  its  "stately 
beautifulness"  and  accorded  it  "the  first  place  in  the  garden  of 
delight/'  Why  do  we  see  it  now  so  rarely?  It  thrives  in  any 
good  light  soil  and  need  not  be  disturbed  for  years.  It  is  quite 


268  The  American  Flower  Garden 

hardy;  it  is  cheap;  it  blooms  early,  coming  before  the  hyacinths 
in  April  and  dying  down  in  summer;  its  petals  drip  nectar;  it 
wears  an  air  of  distinction;  what  virtue,  except  fragrance,  doth 
it  lack?  Let  us  neglect  it  no  longer!  The  perennial  border 
especially  needs  so  richly  coloured  and  decorative  a  flower  that 
blooms  early. 

A  joyful  garden  might  almost  be  made  from  lilies  alone.  Bulb 
beauty  would  seem  to  reach  its  culmination  in  them.  Only  the 
rarest  kinds  are  costly,  and  large,  heavy  bulbs  of,  perhaps,  the 
loveliest  of  them  all  —  the  hardy,  easily  grown  white  Madonna 
lily  (L.  candidum)  —  may  be  had  for  less  than  nine  dollars  a 
hundred  to  plant  in  parallel  rows  along  a  formal  path  or  through 
the  aisle  of  a  pergola  or  pleached  arbour.  Formal  treatment  best 
suits  this  stately  lily.  It  makes  a  delightful  companion  crop  for  light- 
blue  larkspurs.  Its  pure  white  trumpets,  shorter  than  the  Easter 
lily's  in  the  hot-house,  fill  the  evening  air  with  fragrance  and  lend 
a  heavenly  beauty  to  the  garden  by  moonlight  to  refresh  the  weary 
eyes  of  the  commuter.  Let  us  more  often  think  of  him  in  planting 
our  gardens!  The  superb  gold-banded  lily  of  Japan  (L.  auratum) 
seems  really  too  good  to  be  true.  Each  tall,  stout  stem  hung  with 
lilies  of  huge  size,  whose  ivory  petals  have  a  golden  stripe  through 
the  centre,  is  surprising;  and  where  dozens  rear  their  heads  from 
among  the  rhododendrons  the  effect  demands  strong  superlatives 
to  express  its  splendour.  Many  other  lilies  may  be  grown  among 
rhododendrons,  and  laurel  and  azaleas,  too,  for  the  conditions  suit 
them  perfectly  —  light,  rich,  peaty,  moist,  but  well-drained  soil  in 
partial  shade.  Unhappily  the  gold-banded  lily  bulbs  are  some- 
times attacked  by  a  fungus  disease  either  when  we  receive  them 
from  Japan,  or  shortly  after.  Dip  them  in  a  weak  solution  of  for- 
maldehyde such  as  would  be  prepared  for  seed  potatoes,  and  sift 


DOUBLE  BORDER  OF  GERMAN  IRISES  ALONG  A  GRASSY  PATH.  THE  BARE  EARTH  ON 
EITHER  SIDE  IS  AN  ARTISTIC  DEFECT  WHICH  COULD  BE  EASILY  OVERCOME  EITHER  BY  ALLOW- 
ING THE  IRISES  TO  GROW  OUT  TO  MEET  THE  GRASS  OR  BY  USING  ALYSSUM,  PINKS  OR  OTHER 
LOW-GROWING  EDGING  PLANTS 


Bulbs,  Tuberous  Plants  and  Grasses  269 

powdered  Bordeaux  on  the  soil  above  their  crowns.  But  the  most 
frequent  cause  of  failure  with  imported  lilies  is  that  they  come 
frcm  Japan  too  late  to  become  established  before  killing  frost. 
Many  bulbs  do  not  reach  us  until  December.  If  kept  long  out 
of  the  ground,  they  deteriorate  or  die.  Late  comers  should  be 
packed  in  sand  and  stored  in  a  cold  cellar  until  they  can  be  safely 
planted  out  in  spring.  Never  buy  gold-banded  or  speciosum  lilies 
that  have  been  weakened  by  long  exposure  in  a  seedsman's  shop. 
Indeed,  no  time  should  be  lost  in  getting  any  bulbs  into  the  ground 
after  they  leave  the  grower. 

Beginning  with  the  trout  lily  —  the  little  yellow,  speckled  bell 
that  nods  in  the  wild  garden  and  bears  the  misleading  popular 
name  of  dog-tooth  "violet" — with  Jack-in-the-pulpit  and  the 
trilliums,  white,  pink  and  claret,  a  lovely  pageant  of  native  bulbs 
has  already  passed  before  our  eyes  are  dazzled  by  the  midsummer 
splendour  of  the  glowing  red  wood  lily  and  the  tall  stems  of  super- 
bum,  hung  with  perhaps  a  score  of  brilliant  orange-red  turk's  caps 
that  brighten  the  marshes.  Nature  never  fails  to  give  the 
flowers  in  her  garden  the  setting  that  best  displays  their  charms. 
So  must  we  learn  of  her. 

Lilies-of-the-valley,  beloved  by  everyone,  will  carpet  warm 
sunny  and  cold  northern  spots  for  early  and  late  bloom  —  their 
season  can  thus  be  prolonged  seven  weeks  in  the  open;  fragrant 
lemon-yellow  day  lilies  will  perfume  the  old-fashioned  garden  two 
months  before  the  white  day  lily,  with  big  heart-shaped  leaves, 
another  old-time  favourite,  opens  its  pure  chalices  to  woo  with 
their  fragrance  the  night-flying  moths;  pink  and  white  speciosum 
lilies  will  rise  among  the  royal  ferns  in  a  half-shaded  place;  and, 
if  plants  that  cannot  be  killed  are  wanted,  the  novice  will  surely 
have  tawny-orange  day  lilies.  Whoever  owns  any  will  gladly 


270  The  American  Flower  Garden 

give  away  a  barrelful  of  roots.  With  no  cultivation  whatever  they 
thrive  prodigiously  and  will  readily  choke  to  death  every  choice 
thing  near  them  in  a  garden.  But  planted  along  an  old  stone  wall, 
or  naturalised  along  the  edge  of  a  copse  in  a  meadow,  the  lilies, 
that  are  almost  as  richly  coloured  as  the  butterfly  milkweed,  rise 
on  slender  stems  above  the  grasses  with  splendidly  decorative  effect. 

After  the  pansies  and  early  tulips  have  finished  blooming,  and 
lovely  masses  of  colour  are  wanted  to  fill  their  beds  throughout  the 
summer,  no  plants  can  equal  the  tuberous  begonias,  which,  like 
azaleas,  reflect  all  the  tints  of  sunset.  Exquisite  large  waxy  flowers 
appear  in  unwearied  succession  for  months  above  the  clean  broad 
leaves.  Start  the  tubers  in  shallow  boxes  of  leaf-mould  or  cocoa- 
nut  fibre  in  the  hotbed  in  spring  and  set  them  out  in  rich,  moist, 
cool  soil  where  they  are  shaded  from  noonday  sun.  Not  a  breath 
of  frost  can  they  endure.  Their  tubers  should  be  the  first  lifted. 

What  shall  be  done  with  cannas  ?  They  give  bold,  brilliant 
colour  effects  which  are  at  once  their  glory  and  the  despair  of  anyone 
who  tries  to  reconcile  the  tropical-looking  plants  to  the  vegetation 
in  a  northern  garden.  Certainly  they  shall  not  be  placed  in  a 
circular  bed,  with  or  without  "elephants'  ears"  that  so  frequently 
accompany  them,  in  the  centre  of  a  lawn  where  they  form  an 
island,  a  spot  of  colour,  entirely  unrelated  to  all  other  planting. 
Shall  they  intrude  among  the  perennials  ?  The  effect  of  their  big, 
broad  leaves  there  is  quite  as  bad.  For  a  quick-growing  screen 
they  are  admirable,  but  only  if  it  be  a  necessary  detail  in  a  good 
planting  plan;  or  for  an  isolated  corner  where  tropical  effects 
with  bamboo,  eulalias,  and  other  tall,  decorative  grasses  are 
wanted.  Their  rich  bronze  green  or  brownish  maroon  leaves 
are  as  valuable  as  their  gorgeous  flowers,  haunted  by  humming- 
birds that  feast  in  the  deep  nectar-filled  tubes. 


Bulbs,  Tuberous  Plants  and  Grasses  271 

Gladioli  bloom  opportunely  when  the  garden  needs  lighting 
up.  Their  spikes  of  brightness  especially  help  the  perennial  border 
which  is  wont  to  look  weary  at  midsummer,  before  its  autumnal 
revivification  begins.  Large-flowered  new  strains  are  a  revela- 
tion to  one  who  knows  only  the  old  sorts.  Since  they  may  be  had 
in  a  great  variety  of  colours,  they  need  never  clash  with  any  perma- 
nent plants.  Like  cannas,  elephants'  ears,  poker  plants,  tuberous 
begonias  and  dahlias,  they  must  be  lifted  in  autumn  and  stored 
in  a  cellar,  but  let  no  one  forego  growing  them  on  that  account. 
They  are  worth  the  little  trouble  they  cost  if  only  for  cut  flowers 
which  last  over  a  week  in  water  —  a  cheerful  fact  for  the  busy 
housewife. 

Dahlias  may  be  introduced  at  the  back  of  the  perennial  border, 
for  they  grow  tall,  require  stakes,  and  do  not  produce  their  finest 
flowers  until  early  autumn,  and  so  ought  not  to  be  given  a  con- 
spicuous foreground  position  anywhere  on  the  grounds.  But 
they  require  deep  rich  soil,  being  gross  feeders,  and  will  not  bear 
crowding  or  pilfering  from  surrounding  plants.  The  single  kinds 
have  the  most  graceful  flowers  that  are  splendidly  decorative  in 
the  garden  and  that  arrange  well  in  vases  from  which  the  top- 
heavy,  less  lovely  double  kinds  are  forever  falling  out.  Wonderful 
cactus  dahlias  can  be  grown  by  the  merest  novice  who,  if  he  have 
no  other  spot,  will  plant  their  tubers  along  the  fence  of  his  vegetable 
garden  and  deny  himself  a  row  of  cabbages.  He  must  be  warned, 
however,  that  not  all  the  superb  dahlias  seen  at  the  exhibitions, 
where  he  learns  of  the  widespread  dahlia  craze,  have  garden 
value  because  of  the  weakness  of  their  stems.  All  the  strength  of 
some  of  them  seems  to  have  been  forced  into  the  flowers  which 
hide  their  handsome  heads  in  a  mass  of  leaves.  Only  the  single- 
flowered  kinds  grow  on  tall,  slender  stems,  high  above  their  foliage. 


272  The  American  Flower  Garden 

Among  yuccas  or  ornamental  grasses  the  flaming  torches  of  the 
red-hot  poker  plant  flare  most  effectively.  Isolate  such  a  blaze 
of  colour  if  you  would  get  the  full  value  of  its  glory.  Yellow, 
orange,  scarlet  and  coral  flame  flowers  or  torch  flowers  glow  with 
lambent  fire  in  late  summer  and  early  autumn  as  if  they  would 
set  the  fast-fading  garden  ablaze. 

One  of  the  joyful  possibilities  in  owning  a  pond  or  stream  is 
the  ability  to  grow  to  perfection  a  variety  of  beautiful  grasses  and 
sedges  about  its  edge.  The  hardy  bamboos,  eulalia,  reeds, 
erianthus,  and  phalaris,  taken  from  the  flower  garden,  where  they 
invariably  look  out  of  place,  and  naturalised  on  the  banks  with 
the  choicer  native  grasses,  reeds  and  sedges  for  congenial  com- 
pany, not  only  hold  their  own,  but  their  increased  vigour  is  encour- 
aging. The  feathery  plumes  of  the  Japanese  eulalia  especially 
become  a  fresh  revelation  of  grace.  Wild  rice,  which  should 
be  sown  as  soon  as  it  ripens,  will  attract  many  birds  to  feast — 
bobolinks,  red-winged  blackbirds  and  wild  ducks  among  the 
throng.  We  are  only  beginning  to  realize  the  delightful  uses  of 
the  hardy  bamboos  in  the  background  of  the  perennial  border,  in 
the  water  garden,  and  for  those  tropical  effects  with  pampas  grasses 
and  other  exotics  without  which  no  "head  gardener  for  a  first- 
class  gentleman"  seems  to  be  truly  happy.  Too  long  have  we 
regarded  all  the  bamboo  race  as  impossible  denizens  of  warmer 
climes.  But  there  are  at  least  a  half-dozen  hardy  ones,  among 
them  the  little  pygmy  bamboo,  for  carpeting  rock  gardens  and  wild 
places,  and  a  broad-leaved,  decorative  bamboo  (Bambusa  Metake), 
the  best  of  all,  which  grows  higher  than  a  man's  head.  Whoever 
wishes  to  achieve  the  effect  of  a  gigantic  ribbon  grass  will  grow 
Fortune's  bamboo  along  with  the  "gardener's  garters,"  a  varie- 
gated phalaris,  and  the  striped  or  barred  eulalias  from  Japan,  but 


Bulbs,  Tuberous  Plants  and  Grasses  273 

one  must  almost  wish  he  would  n't!  Freakish  foliage  is  so  difficult 
to  manage  in  the  making  of  garden  pictures  that  few,  indeed, 
ever  use  it  aright.  For  lightening  too-heavy  masses  of  dark 
foliage,  or  for  running  up  the  colour  scale  to  a  high  accenting  note, 
however,  it  has  too  great  value  to  the  artistic  gardener  to  be  ignored. 
After  the  flowering  grasses  and  sedges  have  been  cut  for  winter 
decoration  indoors,  the  astonishing  autumn  crocuses  (Colchicum) 
bloom  by  Thanksgiving,  as  if  the  year,  before  dying,  had  entered 
upon  a  second  childhood. 

THE  SELECT  AMONG  BULBOUS  AND  TUBEROUS  PLANTS 

The  flowering  period  given  is  that  of  New  York     and   allowances  must  be  made 
north  or  south. 

ACONITE,   WINTER  (Eranthis   hyemalis).     Yellow;     March;    6  inches. 

Flowers  before  the  leaves,  one  bloom  to  a  stem.     Quite   hardy. 

Give  half  shade  in  border.     Earliest  bright  yellow  flower. 
ANEMONE  (Various  species  of  A nemone).     See  ANEMONE,  WINDFLOWER, 

etc.,   pp.  96,  216,  230.) 
BACHELOR'S    BUTTON    (Ranunculus    Asiaticus,    Centaurea    and    other 

flowers.)     See  page  57. 
BEGONIA   (Begonia   tuberosa).     Red,   pink,  white,   yellow  and    mixed. 

All    summer;    6  to  8  inches.      Invaluable  for  summer  bedding  in 

shaded  places.     Flowers  sometimes  6  inches  across.     The  different 

strains  vary  greatly  in  form  and   colour.     Peaty    soil    preferred. 

Lift  tubers  in  fall  and  keep  free  from  frost,  planting  in  May,  June. 
BLEEDING  HEART  (Dicentra  spectabilis*).     Pink;    May,  June;    2  feet. 

(See  HERBACEOUS  PLANTS,  page  218.) 
BLOODROOT    (Sanguinaria    Canadensis).     White,   tinged    pink.     April; 

8  inches  high.     Appearing  first  before  the  leaves.     Whole   plant 

densely  covered  with  white  powder.     Transplant  late  summer  or 

spring.     Valuable  for  rockery. 
BUTTERFLY  WEED  (Asclepias  tuberosa).     Orange,  rarely  yellow.     June, 

September.     (See  NATIVE  PLANTS,  page  89.) 
CANNA  (Canna  Indica  hybrids).     Red,  pinkish,  pale  yellow,  and  nearly 

white.     July;   2  to  6  feet.     August  till  frost.     Flowers  in  branching 

spikes,  above  large  sheathing  leaves.     The  most  tropical  looking 


274  The  American  Flower  Garden 

bedding  plant  for  both  foliage  and  flower.  Roots  tender  and  must 
be  wintered  in  cellar.  Give  water  in  abundance;  at  home  on  pond 
edges.  Modern  varieties  have  flowers  nearly  as  big  as  a  man's  palm. 

CROCUS,  AUTUMN  (Colchicum  autumnale).  Purple,  pink,  white.  Indi- 
vidual flower  4  inches  across.  September;  3  to  4  inches  high. 
Plant  in  August.  Divide  in  July,  and  do  not  disturb  until  crowded. 

(C.  Parkinsoni.)  Veins  outlined  in  purple,  giving  checker-like 

effect.  — ,  CLOTH-OF-GOLD  (Crocus  Susianus).  Yellow.  , 

SCOTCH  (C.  biflorus).  White  striped  lilac.  — ,  IMPERATI  (C. 

Imperati).  Purplish  blue.  ,  DUTCH  (C.  Masiacus).  , 

COMMON  (C.  vernus).  Varieties,  white,  lilac,  purple;  All  3  to  5 
inches.  The  largest  individual  flowers  and  most  effective  of  the 
dwarf  spring  bulbs.  Of  equally  easy  culture.  Perfectly  hardy.  If 
planted  in  lawn,  foliage  must  be  allowed  to  mature  before  grass  is 
cut.  March.  Best  named  varieties  of  the  common  crocus  are  Snow 
Queen,  Queen  of  Purples,  and  Bleu  Celeste. 

GROWN  IMPERIAL  (Fritillaria  imperialis).  Brownish  red.  April.  (See 
OLD-FASHIONED  FLOWERS,  p.  58.) 

DAFFODIL.     See  NARCISSUS. 

DAHLIA  (Dahlia  variabilis).  All  colours  but  blue  and  true  scarlet; 
August,  October;  2  to  6  feet.  Easily  raised  from  seed,  flowering 
first  year.  Tops  cut  by  first  frost.  Most  important  tuberous  rooted 
plant  and  most  effective  of  all  the  tall  growing  kinds  for  late  flowers. 
Has  most  brilliant  flowers  and  a  greater  variety  of  them,  combined 
with  greater  diversity  and  form,  than  any  other  one  group  of  plants. 
All  the  varieties  in  cultivation  are  forms  of  the  one  species.  Plant 
the  tubers  in  any  good  garden  soil  after  danger  of  frost  is  past  and 
give  cultivation  same  as  potatoes.  Lift  roots  in  November  after 
tops  have  been  cut  off  by  first  frost  and  store  in  sand  or  ashes  in 
frost-proof  cellar.  It  is  best  to  divide  old  roots  when  replanting. 
Dahlias  are  classified  according  to  the  form  and  colour,  as  follows: 
Show,  regularly  quilled  rays,  self-coloured  or  lighter  at  the  base. 
Fancy,  regularly  quilled  rays  darker  at  the  base.  Cactus,  petals 
variously  twisted  and  revolute,  all  colours.  Decorative,  a  modern 
intermediate  group  with  broad  and  flat  petals,  but  generally  useful 
for  cutting.  Single,  daisy-like  flowers  with  conspicuous  disc  and  an 
outer  rim  and  row  of  florets.  Peony- flowered,  most  modern,  irregu- 
larly formed  sort  of  semi-double  decorative  type.  Very  large.  The 


Bulbs,  Tuberous  Plants  and  Grasses  275 

Pompon  group  includes  miniatures  of  the  Show  and  Fancy  and 
Single  types.  New  Century,  very  large  single  flowers  with  rich 
colourings.  Collerette,  single  or  semi-double,  with  broad  outer  ray 
of  florets  and  a  row  of  tubular  inner  florets  surrounding  the  disc. 
Not  much  esteemed.  Examples  in  each  case  are:  Frank  Smith, 
maroon  tipped  white,  fancy.  Stanley,  golden  yellow,  show. 
Katherine  Duer,  iridescent  scarlet,  decorative.  William  Agnew, 
carmine-red,  decorative.  Aegir,  cardinal-red,  much  twisted,  cactus. 
Mary  Service,  apricot  shaded  orange,  cactus.  Strahlen  Krone,  deep 
cardinal-red,  cactus.  Perle  de  la  Tete  d'Or,  white,  cactus.  Twenti- 
eth Century  and  its  varieties  in  various  colours  are  best  among  the 
singles.  Of  the  Pompons:  Darkness,  tipped  velvety  maroon;  Snow- 
clad,  the  finest  white;  Little  Bessy,  creamy  white,  quilled,  are  typical. 

DOG'S  TOOTH  VIOLET  (Erythronium  Americanuni).  Yellow.  April, 
May;  10  inches.  (See  NATIVE  PLANTS,  p.  90.) 

DUTCHMAN'S  BREECHES  (Di centra  cucullaria).  Greenish  white,  tinged 
rose;  8  inches.  (See  NATIVE  PLANTS,  p.  90.) 

ELEPHANT'S  EAR  (C alodium  esculentum).  Massive  foliage  heart-shaped, 
1\  feet  long.  Corm  is  not  hardy,  but  winters  indoors  if  kept  dry. 
Most  massive  subtropical  foliage  plant  for  summer  bedding.  Any 
soil. 

FLAME  FLOWER.     See  RED-HOT  POKER. 

GLADIOLUS  (G.  Gandavensis  and  other  hybrids,  as  Childsii,  Lemoinei, 
Nanceianus,  Groff,  etc.).  Pink,  red,  white,  yellow  and  mixtures. 
July,  September;  3  feet.  In  one-sided  spikes.  Extremely  varied. 
Most  showy  summer  bulbs.  Lift  after  frost  and  store  dry. 

GLORY-OF-THE-SNOW  (Chionodoxa  Lucilia).  Sky-blue.  March;  6  to  9 

inches.  White  eye.  (C.  Sardensis).  Dark  blue.  (C.  Lu- 

cilia,  var.  grandiflora).  Larger  and  later.  Largest  blue  flowers 
of  early  spring.  Give  sun. 

GROUND  NUT  (Apios  tuberosa).  Chocolate  brown.  July,  August; 
4  to  8  feet.  Climbing.  Flowers  in  dense  short  racemes.  Any  light 
soil  in  sun.  Becomes  a  weed  in  rockeries. 

GUINEA  HEN  FLOWER.     See  LILY,  CHECKERED. 

HYACINTH,  BEDDING  (Hyacinthus  orientalts).  Blue,  red,  white,  prim- 
rose, single  and  double  in  various  shades.  Buy  new  bulbs  each  year 
for  best  results.  Plant  in  solid  colours.  12  to  18  inches.  After 


276  The  American  Flower  Garden 

flowering  lift  in  May.  Offsets  will  take  three  or  four  years  to  develop. 
Dense  spikes  of  bloom,  giving  stiff  formal  effect.  Most  fragrant  of 
the  spring  bulbs.  Many  named  varieties.  Among  the  best  are: 
Fabiola,  single  pink;  Gertrude,  single,  dark  rose;  La  Grandesse, 
single,  white;  Grandeur  a  Merveille,  pale,  blush-white,  single; 
La  Peyrouse,  single,  light  blue;  King  of  the  Blues,  single,  dark  blue; 
King  of  the  Yellows,  single,  yellow.  Of  the  doubles:  Lord  Welling- 
ton, red;  Prince  of  Waterloo,  white;  Charles  Dickens,  blue.  Roman 
Hyacinths  are  minatures  of  the  foregoing  and  sold  merely  by  colour. 

,  CAPE  (Galtonia  candicans).    August;  3  to  5  feet.    Bell-shaped 

flowers    I    inch  long.     In    loose    spike.     Give  slight  protection  in 

light  rich  soil  in  sun  or  half  shade.     Fragrant.     ,  GRAPE  (Mus- 

cari  botryoides).  April;  4  to  6  inches.  Blue,  white.  Small  bell- 
like  flowers  in  dense  spike  ij  inches  long.  Best  variety,  Heav- 
enly Blue.  Much  larger. ,  WOOD  (Scilla  festalis).  Blue, 

white.  Rarely  pink.  May;  i  foot.  Looser  and  fewer  flowered 
than  the  bedding  hyacinth,  but  otherwise  much  like  it.  Naturalise 
in  woodlands. 

IRIS  (Parlous).     See  HERBACEOUS  PLANTS,  p.  223. 

IXIA  (Various  Species  and  Hybrids).  White,  yellow,  purple,  ruby, 
blue,  green,  in  lax  panicles.  Usually  with  black  eye.  Similar  to 
sparaxis.  Numerous  named  varieties.  Give  protection  over  winter, 
uncovering  in  April.  Plant  November.  Lift  in  July,  and  dry  off. 
The  greatest  range  of  colour  of  any  bulb. 

JACK-IN-THE-PULPIT.      See  NATIVE  PLANTS,  p.  Q2. 

JONQUIL  (Narcissus  Jonquilla).  Rich  yellow.  Very  fragrant.  Leaves 
round,  rush-like.  One  flowered.  May.  Often  confused  with 
N.  odorusy  which  has  larger  waved  crown. 

LILY: 

AFRICAN  BLUE  (Agapanthus  umbellatus).     Blue,  in  umbels  on  long 

stalks.     June;  2  to  3  feet.     Resembling  Clivia  in  all  but  colour. 

Nearly  tender  piazza   plant.     Dormant  in  winter;  take  into 

cellar.     Water  abundantly  when  flowering.     Best  in  large  tub. 

Apt  to  break  pots. 
AUTUMN    PINK   (Lilium   speciosum).     Pink,    red,   white.     August; 

2  to  3  feet.     For  permanent  planting.     Best  in  warm,  sheltered 

shrubbery  or  beds.     The  favourite,  L.  rubrum,  is  a  form  of  this. 

Flowers  6  inches  across.     Flatly  expanded.     Perfectly  hardy. 


Bulbs,  Tuberous  Plants  and  Grasses  277 

BELLADONNA  (Amaryllis  Belladonna).  Deep  chalice  form.  Rose 
colour,  varying  to  white  and  red;  2  to  4  feet.  May.  Tender, 
needing  protection  in  winter,  not  easy  to  manage. 

BLACKBERRY  (Belemcanda  Chinensis).  Orange,  spotted  red.  June; 
2  to  3  feet.  (See  OLD-FASHIONED  FLOWERS,  p.  61.) 

CANADA  (Lilium  Canadense).  Chalice  formed,  3  to  4  inches  long. 
Yellow  to  yellowish  red.  July.  Moist  clay  or  sandy  soil. 

CHECKERED,  GUINEA  HEN  FLOWER,  SNAKE'S  HEAD  (Fritillaria 
Meleagris).  May.  (See  OLD-FASHIONED  FLOWERS, FRITILLARY, 
p.  59.)  Likes  cool,  alluvial  meadow  land  and  shelter. 

CORAL  (Lilium  tenui folium).  Scarlet,  turban-like  flower;  inch  across; 
12  to  1 8  inches  high;  with  slender  foliage.  Grow  from  seed. 

DAY  (Funkia  and  Hemerocallis).  See  OLD-FASHIONED  FLOWERS, 

pp.  58,  63.  (Tigridia  Pavonia).  Bright  scarlet,  to  yellow, 

crimson,  and  white;  4  to  6  inches  across.  Flowers  last  one 
day,  but  are  produced  for  two  or  three  months.  Plant  in  early 
spring,  lifting  the  bulbs  after  frost  and  storing  in  dry  cellar. 

Foliage  ribbed,  narrow.  ,  DWARF  ORANGE  (Hemerocallis 

Dumortieri).  Orange.  June;  I  foot.  Purer  colour,  earlier  and 
more  refined  than  the  common  orange  day  lily  which  is  excellent 
for  naturalising.  Hardy  in  extreme  North.  Plant  spring  or  fall. 

GIANT  INDIAN  (Eremurus  robustus).  Light  pinkish  lilac.  May, 
June;  8  feet.  Individual  flowers  one  inch  across,  in  dense 
long  spike.  Very  distinct.  Large  roots  must  not  be  moved. 
Mulch  over  winter.  Several  other  species,  differing  but  slightly. 

GOLD  BANDED  (Lilium  auratum).  The  most  showy  and  largest 
flowered  of  the  real  lilies.  Often  a  foot  across.  August;  4  feet. 
Pale  yellow  with  golden  centre  band  and  crimson  spots.  Hardy, 
but  appears  to  fail  after  a  few  years.  Plant  fall  and  spring. 

HENRY'S  (Lilium  Henryi).  July,  4  to  6  feet.  Resembles  L. 
speciosum,  but  is  entirely  cinnabar  yellow.  Very  hardy  and 
increases  rapidly.  Strong  flower. 

JACOBAEAN  (Sprekelia  formosissima).  Red.  I  to  2  feet  high.  A 
solitary  flower  6  inches  long.  Grown  like  an  amaryllis,  which 
it  resembles.  Half  hardy. 

JAPAN  (Lilium  elegans)  July;  I  to  2  feet.  Yellow,  orange,  red. 
Cup-shaped  flower  5  to  6  inches  across.  Plant  in  full  sunshine, 
6  to  8  inches  deep.  The  best  of  all  the  upright  lilies. 


278  The  American  Flower  Garden 

MADONNA    (Lilium    candidum).     White.     May,    June.     Plant    in 

August.     (See  OLD-FASHIONED  FLOWERS,  p.  61.) 
NEAPOLITAN  (Alii urn  Neapolitanurri).     White.    July;  3  to  1 8  inches. 
Needs  protection.     The  most  ornamental  of  the  onions.     Not 
pungent.     Flowers  in  a  dense  umbel,  each  about  J  inch  across. 
Good  for  cutting. 

POWELL'S  CAPE  (Crinum  Powelli).  Pink.  September;  3  to  4  feet. 
Largest-flowered  autumn-blooming  bulb.  Hardy  at  New  York 
if  well  covered  in  winter.  Plant  8  inches  deep. 

RED  (Lilium  Phil  ad  el  phi  cum).  Red-orange,  dark  spotted  with  brown- 
purple.  June,  July;  I  to  2  feet.  Any  well-drained  soil,  sun  or 
shade.  Flower  cup-shaped,  erect. 

SCARLET  MARTAGON  (Lilium  Chalcedonicum).  3  to  4  feet.  Nodding 
bright  red  flowers,  unspotted.  Sometimes  yellow.  One  of  the 
prettiest  of  small  flowered  lilies.  Should  become  quite  popular. 
TIGER  (Lilium  tigrinum).  Pale  brick-red,  dark  spotted;  August ; 
2  to  5  feet.  Individual  flower  6  inches.  Easiest  to  grow  of  all 
lilies.  Somewhat  stiff  and  coarse  looking,  but  a  favourite  in 
old-time  gardens. 

TURK'S  CAP  (Lilium  superbum).  4  to  8  feet.  Orange  and  orange- 
yellow.  This  is  the  best  lily  for  gardens,  but  a  great  feeder  and 
wants  good  moist  soil  2  to  4  feet  deep.  Flowers  turban-like,  2 
inches  across;  numerous. 

LILY-OF-THE-VALLEY  (Convallaria  majalis).  White.  May,  June;  6  to  8 
inches.  Under  shade  of  trees  and  along  rich,  partially  shaded 
borders.  Flowers  are  nodding  bells  borne  along  a  stalk.  Fragrant. 
MEXICAN  CORAL  DROPS  (Bessera  elegans).  Vermillion  and  white;  i  to  2 
feet.  Late  summer.  Very  effective  summer  flowering  bulb,  some- 
times throwing  6  to  10  scapes  with  20  pendulous  flowers  in  an  umbel, 
cup-shaped.  Plant  in  spring  and  lift  when  ripe. 

MILLA  (Milla  biflora).     White,  waxy;    6  to  18  inches  high.     Fragrant; 
2j  inches  across.     Plant  in  early  spring.     Lift  September  and  Octo- 
ber and  store  over  winter.     Flat  star-like  flower. 
MONTBRETIA.     See  TRITONIA. 
NARCISSUS: 

The  poeticus,  and  polyanthus  (Tazetta)  narcissus,  the  jonquil,  and 
the  large  trumpet  daffodil  are  varieties  of  different  species  in  the  one 
botancial  genus  Narcissus.  The  family  is  divided  into  three  big 


Bulbs,  Tuberous  Plants  and  Grasses  279 

groups,  called  respectively,  (<?)  Magni-coronati  or  large  trumpet; 
(7>)  Medii-coronati  or  cup  daffodil;  (Y)  Parvi-coronatt  or  saucer  daffo- 
dil. The  varieties  of  groups  a  and  b  are  commonly  known  as  daffodils, 
while  those  of  group  c  are  commonly  known  as  narcissus,  including 
of  course  the  poet's  and  polyanthus  groups.  Group  b,  the  Incompar- 
abilis  section,  is  composed  essentially,  and  perhaps  entirely,  of 
hybrids  between  different  species  and  varieties  of  groups  a  and  c, 
and  embraces  every  degree  of  difference  between  the  two  extremes. 
The  large  trumpet  daffodils  are  varieties  of  N.  Pseudo-Narcissus. 
The  polyanthus  narcissi  (including  the  Paper  White,  Double 
Roman,  etc.)  are  varieties  of  N.  Tazetta.  The  Poet's  Narcissus 
includes  all  the  varieties  of  the  species  N.  poeticus;  the  jonquil  is  a 
species  known  as  N.  Jonquilla,  and  differs  from  the  recognised 
daffodils  in  having  cluster  flowers,  and  from  the  polyanthus  narcissus 
in  having  rushlike  leaves  instead  of  flat;  it  is  very  fragrant  and  the 
flowers  are  of  a  very  deep  yellow  colour.  Selected  varieties  in  each 
section  or  group  follows: 

ALL-YELLOW  TRUMPETS.  Early:  Ard  Righ,  large,  does  best  in 
partial  shade;  Early  Bird,  has  been  had  in  flower  in  the  open 
April  1 2th;  Golden  Spur,  free,  good  for  cutting.  Midseason: 
Emperor,  fine  flower  of  much  substance:  Maximus,  shy  bloomer 
but  of  superb  colour.  Late:  Glory  of  Leiden,  the  biggest  and 
most  lasting  flower. 

ALL-WHITE  WINGED,  OR  BICOLORS.  Early:  Victoria,  very  large 
and  of  lasting  substance.  Midseason:  Empress,  large  and  fine, 
rich  yellow  trumpet;  Horsfieldi,  earlier  than  Empress;  very 
handsome  but  is  becoming  diseased.  Late:  Madame  Plemp; 
a  large,  bold  flower;  Grandee,  for  succession,  dwarf,  but  free 
flowering. 

ALL-WHITE  TRUMPETS.  Early:  Cernuus  albicans;  a  very  graceful 
"Swan's  Neck";  Mrs.  Thompson,  strong,  free  flowering  and 
large;  Princess  Ida,  small,  but  curiously  edged  with  yellow  at 
the  mouth.  Midseason:  William  Goldring,  with  perianth  over- 
hanging the  trumpet.  Late:  Madame  de  Graaff,  most  beauti- 
ful and  largest. 

LESSER  LONG-CROWNED  DAFFODILS.  Johnstoni,  a  good  natural- 
iser,  thin,  graceful  flowers  yellow.  Cyclamineus,  little  yellow 


280  The  American  Flower  Garden 

cyclamen-like  flowers  three  inches  long.  Bulbocodium,  hoop 
petticoat-shaped  flowers  of  white  or  yellow.  Pretty  in  pots,  or 
in  rock  work.  Humei,  Hume's  (Dog-eared  daffodils),  small 
trumpet,  with  overhanging  perianth  like  dog's  ears.  The 
tridymus  group,  a  series  of  few  hardy  cluster  flowered  daffodils. 

INCOMPARABILIS  VARIETIES.  Early:  Sir  Watkin,  large  and  hand- 
some, very  free,  full  yellow.  Midseason:  Autocrat,  every 
flower  as  perfectly  formed  as  if  cut  with  a  die;  full  yellow; 
Stella  Superba,  white  perianth  and  yellow  cup;  handsome  as 
cut  flower.  Late:  Beauty,  large,  handsome,  yellow  star-like 
flowers,  crown  edged  orange-red;  Gloria  Mundi,  large  flower, 
cup  heavily  margined  with  red;  the  Barrii  group,  having 
trumpet  edged  with  scarlet  as:  Conspicuus,  large  yellow  flower, 
red  edged  crown;  Flora  Wilson,  white  perianth,  yellow  crown 
edged  white;  Sensation,  white  perianth,  canary  crown  edged  red. 
Especially  suitable  for  naturalising  and  cutting  are  the  varieties 
of  the  Leedsii  group,  all  having  white  petals,  etc. :  Duchess  of 
Westminster,  large  and  beautiful;  Katherine  Spurrel,  hooded, 
white  perianth,  cup  canary  yellow;  Mary  Magdalen  De  Graaff, 
broad,  spreading,  white  perianth,  cream  crown,  suffused  terra 
cotta;  Mrs.  Langtry,  pale  creamy  yellow,  remarkably  free  flow- 
ering, and  excellent  for  cutting. 

SHORT-CROWNED  OR  SAUCER  DAFFODILS.  Midseason:  Burbidgei 
Baroness  Heath,  yellow,  orange-red  cup;  Crown  Princess, cream- 
white,  light  yellow  cup  edged  orange.  Late:  Sequin,  glistening 
white,  flat  golden  cup;  Ornatus  (midseason)  and  King 
Edward  VII.  are  the  two  best  varieties  of  fragrant,  white  poet's 
narcissus. 

DOUBLE  DAFFODILS.  Most  important  is  Telamonius  plenus,  popu- 
larly known  as  Van  Sion.  Others  are:  Cernuus  plenus,  double 
form  of  white  Swan's  Neck;  Capax  plenus,  "Queen  Ann's 
double  daffodil";  Sulphur  Phoenix,  popularly  known  as  "cod- 
lins  and  cream,"  rose-like  flowers,  interspersed  petals  of  pale 
and  golden  yellow;  Double  Campernelle,  grows  2  feet  high,  two 
to  six  flowers  to  stem,  strong  bulb  throwing  up  two  to  six  stems. 
Deep  golden  yellow,  fragrant. 
PEONY,  EARLY  (P&onia  officinalis).  May,  June;  3  feet.  Crimson. 

Best  planted  in  September.    (See  OLD-FASHIONED  FLOWERS,  p.  62.) 


Bulbs,  Tuberous  Plants  and  Grasses  281 

QUAMASH  (Camassia  esculent  a).  Blue,  purple,  whitish.  May;  2  feet. 
In  loose  spike.  Flowers  star-like,  10  to  40.  Perfectly  hardy.  Bulb 
used  as  food  by  the  Indians. 

RED-HOT  POKER  (Kniphofia  Pfitzeri).  Scarlet,  orange.  Early 
August  to  October;  3  to  4  feet.  This  is  probably  the  most 
gorgeous  of  all  the  varieties.  Foot-long  cones  of  bright 
orange-scarlet  tubular  flowers,  one  hundred  or  more  each,  sur- 
mounting an  erect  stalk  4  to  5  feet.  Hardy  south  of  New 
Jersey,  needs  protection  in  Philadelphia,  but  must  be  lifted  in 
the  North.  Give  warm,  well-drained  place  with  dark  back- 
ground for  the  best  effects.  Other  named  varieties  range  from 
yellow  to  brick-red.  One  of  the  most  startlingly  effective  plants. 
Leaves  three  feet  long,  narrow  and  grass-like.  Often  catalogued 
as  Tritoma. 

SNAKE'S  HEAD.    See  LILY,  CHECKERED. 

SNOWDROP,  COMMON  (Galanthus  nivalis).  White.  Earliest  reliable 
spring  flowers;  3  to  4  inches.  For  cold  sheltered  places  as  well  as 
open.  ,  GIANT  (G.  Elwesii).  Var.  Whittallil  is  best. 

SNOW  FLAKE  (Leucojum  vernum  and  astivum).  White;  I  foot.  Like 
large  snowdrops;  vernum  flowers  in  March;  cestivum  in  April  and 
May.  Good  border  plants. 

SQUILL,  TWO-LEAVED  (Sdlla  bifolia).  Purplish  blue.  4  to  6  inches. 
A  week  later  than  Siberian  Squill  but  more  reliable;  Var.  Taurica 

has  10  to  20  flowers ,  SIBERIAN  (S.  Sibirtca),  dark  blue.  Best 

true  blue  early  bulb.  March;  3  to  6  inches.  For  lawns,  shrubberies. 

STAR  OF  BETHLEHEM  (Ornithogalum  umbellatum).  White  with  green 
veins  and  black  centre.  May;  I  foot.  Escaped  from  old  gardens. 
Flowers  in  loose  panicles.  Excellent  for  naturalising. 

TRILLIUM     See  Wooo-LiLY  or  WAKEROBIN  in  NATIVE  PLANTS,  p.  96. 

TRITONIA,  MONTBRETIA  (T.  Pottsi).  Yellow,  tinged  red.  T.  crocosma- 
flora,  orange-crimson;  Lax  spikes,  star-like  flowers.  August, 
September;  i  to  2  feet.  Hardy  in  well-drained  but  moist  soil. 

TRITONIA.     See  RED-HOT  POKER  (above). 

TUBEROSE  (Polianthes  tuberosa).  White.  Very  fragrant,  August, 
September;  2^  to  3  feet.  In  foot  long  spike  carried  on  end  of  erect 
stalk.  Arching  grass-like  foliage.  Plant  in  warm  soil  in  early 
summer.  Double  variety  preferred. 


282  The  American  Flower  Garden 

TULIP,   BEDDING   (Tullpa  suaveolens).     Great  range  of  colours  except 
blue.     April;    12  to  16  inches.     Buy  new  bulbs  annually  for  best 
flowers.     Old  ones    may  be    lifted    and    planted    in    the    border. 
These  are  the  most  gorgeous  of  the  spring  bulbs.       Young  tulips 
raised      from      seed      are     called      "seedlings"    until    they  have 
bloomed.       When   they   first   flower   they   are   called   "breeders." 
These  flowers  are  invariably  of  one  colour  throughout,  although  the 
seed  may  have  been  saved  from  variegated  blossoms.     After  some 
years  the  petals  of  these  hitherto  self  flowers  become  striped,  and 
they  are  then  said  to  "break,"  or  "rectify."     If  the  stripings  are 
clearly  marked  and  of  good  pure  colours,  the  flowers  are  spoken  of  as 
having  a  "good  strain."     A  "rectified  tulip"  is  synonymous  with  a 
tulip  having  a  good  strain.     These  rectified  flowers  are  divided  into 
three  classes:   bizarres,  bybloemens,  and  roses.     The  "bizarre"  tulip 
has  a  yellow  ground  with  shades  of  orange,  brown,  scarlet  and  crim- 
son.    The  "bybloemen"  has  a  white  ground,  marked  with   black, 
brown,  lilac,  lavender,  etc.      The  "rose"  has  a  white  ground,  varie- 
gated with  shades  of  crimson,  pink,  scarlet,  cerise.     The  various 
classes  of  rectified  tulips  have  the  petals  either  feathered  or  flamed.   A 
"feathered"  tulip  has  a  dark  coloured  edge,  gradually  becoming 
lighter  toward  the  centre  of  the  petal.     A  "flamed"  flower  has  a 
beam  of  colour  running  up  the  centre  of  the  petal. 
EARLY  SINGLES  IN  SCARLET  AND  CRIMSON:    Brutus,  the  earliest, 
very  bright,  with  a  very  slight  yellow  feather  on  the  edges;  grows 
8  inches  high.     Artus,  brilliant  dark  scarlet,  a  few  days   later 
than  Brutus.     Grows  8  to  10  inches  high.     Belle  Alliance,  the 
best  bright  scarlet  in  the  early  flowering  section.     Grows  about 
IO  inches   high.     The   flower  lasts  well.     Couleur  Cardinal, 
rich,  dark  red,  with  a  bright  crimson  edge,  a  little  later  than  the 
foregoing  varieties.     An  excellent  tulip  of  rigid  habit.     Grows 
10  to   12  inches  high.     Thomas  Moore,  rich    orange-scarlet. 
Grows   12  to   15  inches  high;    sweet-scented.      Keiserskroon, 
vivid  red,  with  a  broad  deep  yellow  margin.     Grows  15  inches 
high,  lasts  well.     An  excellent  tulip  in  every  respect. 
PINK  FLOWERED  EARLY  SINGLES:  Rose  Grisdelin,  the  dwarfest  and 
best  bright  pink  bedding  tulip.     Grows  only  6  inches  high. 
EARLY  YELLOW  SINGLES:  Chrysolora,  the  best  early  yellow  bedder. 
A  large  and  beautiful  flower.     Grows  10  inches  high.      Canary 
Bird,  clear  yellow.     Grows  10  inches  high;  very  early.     Potte- 


Bulbs,  Tuberous  Plants  and  Grasses  283 

bakker,  pure  yellow.  Grows  12  inches  high.  A  well-known 
large  flower.  Yellow  Prince,  rich  golden  yellow,  large  and 
sweet  scented.  Grows  12  inches  high;  very  early.  Mon  Tresor 
grows  10  to  12  inches  high,  large  flower. 

MAY-FLOWERING  OR  COTTAGE  TULIPS  (T.  Gesneriana  type).  Most 
popular  for  the  average  garden,  coming  into  flower  from  one  to 
two  weeks  later  than  the  early  varieties.  As  cut  flowers  they  are 
superior,  lasting  a  week  or  more  in  water.  Free  and  graceful 
habit,  1 8  to  24  inches  high,  bearing  flowers  of  brilliant  colourings 
on  long,  strong  stems.  They  can  be  used  with  great  effect  in 
both  borders  and  beds,  either  in  solid  colours  or  in  combinations. 
Among  the  best  of  this  section  are:  Giant  Gesneriana,  dazzling 
crimson-scarlet,  with  metallic  blue-black  centre.  Grows  2 
feet  high.  The  showiest,  tallest,  and  largest  flowered  of  all 
tulips.  Golden  Eagle,  deep  yellow,  similar,  except  in  colour,  to 
Giant  Gesneriana.  Bouton  d'Or,  deep,  rich  golden  yellow, 
with  dark  centre.  A  small  flower,  but  very  effective;  considered 
by  many  to  be  the  finest  yellow  tulip.  Nigrette  (the  black 
tulip),  jet-black  in  colour,  resembling  in  form  Bouton  d'Or. 
Shandon  Bells,  when  opening  the  flowers  are  a  delicate  primrose 
flushed  with  pink,  changing  as  they  age  to  rosy  carmine. 
Maiden  Blush,  or  Picotee,  beautiful  white  flower,  the  edges 
changing  to  clear  pink.  Very  dainty  in  effect,  and  long  lasting. 
Florentina,  a  very  small  bulb  that  bears  one  or  two  large, 
handsome  yellow  flowers  on  each  stalk. 

WHITE  SINGLE  EARLY:  Pottebakker  White,  the  best  early  white 
bedding  tulip.  Grows  10  to  12  inches  high.  White  Hawk,  a 
beautiful  large  pure  white.  Grows  10  to  12  inches  high.  La 
Reine,  white,  slightly  tinted  pink;  10  to  12  inches  high.  Excel- 
lent form;  lasts  well.  L/Immaculee,  one  of  the  dwarfest  and 
earliest  of  pure  white  tulips  Grows  6  inches  high. 

MIXED  COLOURS:  Tournesol,  red,  with  narrow  edge  of  yellow. 
Grows  8  inches  high.  Titian,  red  bordered  yellow,  similar  to 
Tournesol,  but  with  larger  yellow  margin.  Mariage  de  ma 
Fille,  crimson  and  white,  flaked  and  finely  striped.  Grows 
12  inches  high.  Late. 

DOUBLE  FLOWERING:  Equal  to  most  of  the  singles  in  brilliancy,  but 
are  more  lasting.  The  later  flowering  varieties  are  very  effective 


284  The  American  Flower  Garden 

in  beds  and  borders.  The  following  are  the  best:  Couronne 
d'Or,  the  best  double  yellow  bedding  tulip.  Grows  10  inches 
high.  Yellow  Rose,  a  beautiful  yellow,  growing  same  height  as 
Couronne  d'Or;  later  and  more  fragrant.  Tournesol  Yellow, 
shaded  with  orange.  Grows  8  inches  high.  Rex  Rubrorum, 
similar  in  height  and  colour  to  Imperator  Rubrorum,  but 
flowers  earlier.  The  best  double  scarlet.  La  Candeur,  the  best 
pure  white  double  tulip.  Grows  8  inches  high,  and  when  planted 
in  combination  with  Imperator  Rubrorum  is  very  effective. 
Rose  Blanche,  pure  white.  Grows  8  inches  high.  Excellent  for 
bedding.  Earlier  than  La  Candeur.  Salvator  Rose,  deep  rosy 
pink.  Grows  7  inches  high.  Early.  Murillo,  the  best  light 
pink;  long  lasting.  Grows  only  6  inches  high. 

DARWIN  (7*.  Gesneriana,  etc.,  in  garden  hybrids).  Breeder  tulips, 
of  vigorous  growth,  usually  reaching  more  than  two  feet  high. 
The  many  varieties  cover  a  great  range  of  self  or  solid 
coloured,  finely  formed  flowers  in  the  following  shades:  slate, 
heliotrope,  mahogany,  claret,  cherry.  They  are  especially 
desirable  for  the  hardy  border,  and  bloom  late  in  May.  Sold 
in  mixtures.  Naturalised  in  borders. 

Due  VAN  THOL  (T.  suaveolens).  The  varieties  of  this  group  form 
a  distinct  class  of  themselves.  They  come  in  scarlet,  red  and 
yellow,  yellow,  crimson,  rose  and  white.  They  are  grown 
because  they  are  among  the  earliest  to  flower:  the  different 
colours  come  into  bloom  simultaneously,  and  the  plants  grow 
to  the  same  height,  7  to  8  inches  only.  There  are  also  double 
yellow  and  double  scarlet  forms.  Sold  by  colour. 

DRAGON  OR  PARROT  (T.  Gesneriana,  var.  dracontia).  Late  flower- 
ing; petals  irregularly  cut,  and  fringed  in  a  variety  of  colours. 
They  have  a  striking  and  showy  effect  in  borders,  where  they 
propagate  freely  if  left  to  come  up  year  after  year.  Constanti- 
nople, red,  striped  orange,  with  black  markings.  Lutea,  clear 
yellow,  feathered  with  red  and  green;  very  large.  Rubra 
Major,  bright  crimson,  large  flower,  very  rich  in  effect.  Mark- 
grave  of  Baden,  yellow,  framed  with  scarlet;  very  showy  flower. 
Carmoise  Brilliant,  brilliant  carmine. 

GREIG'S  (Tulipa  Greigi).  A  vigorous  growing  tulip,  attaining  a 
height  of  15  inches.  The  foliage  is  broad  and  green  and 


Bulbs,  Tuberous  Plants  and  Grasses  285 

heavily  spotted  with   brown;    flower  goblet  shaped,   orange- 
scarlet,  from  4  to  6  inches  in  diameter. 

LATE  (Varieties  of  Tulipa  Gesneriand). 

MARIPOSA  (Calochortus  luteus,  venustus,  Nuttalii,  etc).     Three  large 
petals  and  three  smaller  ones.     The  Mariposas  have  upright 
flowers  like  tulips.     The  star  tulips,  C.  albus  and  others,  have 
drooping  flowers.     All  require  partial  shade.     Will  stand  cold 
but  not  alternating  freezing  and  thawing.     Plant  in  fall  in  light 
loam  with  light  drainage  material  added. 
WAKEROBIN.     See  WOOD-LILY,  NATIVE  PLANTS,  p.  96. 
WAND    FLOWERS    (Spar axis    tricolor).     Purplish,    with    yellow   throat, 

variable;   i    foot.     Few  flowered   lax  spikes.     August,  September. 

Very  graceful.     Rarely  seen.     Treat  like  Tritonia. 

WATSONIA  (W.  iridifolia).  Pinkish.  Resembling  gladiolus.  July,  Sep- 
tember; 3  to  4  feet.  W.  Ardernei,  white,  of  the  trade  is  W.  iridifolia 
var.  Q'Brienii. 

WOOD  SORREL  (Oxalis  Acetoselld).  White,  veined  rosy.  Summer;  8 
inches.  Flowers  and  leaves  close  at  night.  Rich,  well-drained  loam. 
A.  Boweii,  bright  rose-red  is  much  more  showy. 

YELLOW  STAR-FLOWER  (Sternbergia  luted).  Yellow.  September;  4  to  6 
inches.  Only  yellow  autumn  blooming  bulb  worth  growing. 
Plant  four  inches  deep  in  stiff*  soil  where  sun  strikes  in  summer. 
Give  dry  mulch  over  winter. 

THE  BEST  ORNAMENTAL  GRASSES 

All  the  plants  marked  (*)  are  also  recommended  for  planting  in  situations  near  to  or 
surrounding  the  water  garden. 

*BAMBOO  (Various  species  of  Bambusa,  Arundinana  and  Pbyllostachys, 
but  generally  called  bamboos  in  the  trade.)  There  are  seven 
bamboos  worth  growing,  and  that  are  hardy  in  the  North.  They 
are  among  the  most  beautiful  and  dignified  of  the  grasses.  They 
require  careful  nursing  and  protection  for  the  first  few  years. 

,  BROAD-LEAVED    (A.   Japonica,  or  B.  Metake).     Best  of  all; 

largest  and  broadest  leaved  of  the  tall  kinds;  6  to  10  feet.     The 

large  leaf  sheaths  almost  cover  the  stem. ,  BLACK,  (P.  nigrd). 

Stems  become  black  in  the  second  year;  10  to  20  feet  high.     This 
plant  is  the  one  from  which  bamboo  furniture    is    made.     Var. 


286  The  American  Flower  Garden 

punctata  has  yellow  stems  with  black  spots. ,  GOLDEN  STEMMED 

(P.  aurea).  10  to  15  feet. ,  RIVIERE'S  (P.  vindi- glance  scens),  10  to 

1 8  feet.  Very  hardy ;  the  most  commonly  grown.  Peculiar  zig-zag 
habit  of  growth.  -  -  SIMON'S  (A.  Simoni).  Tallest;  10  to  20  feet  in 
the  North.  Starts  growth  late  in  the  season.  Thin  out  the  weaker 
shoots.  Leaves  an  inch  wide,  i  foot  long,  tapering  to  a  fine  point. 

,  PIGMY (B.pygmaa).  Valuable  for  rockery,  but  spreads  rapidly  and 

may  become  a  nuisance  in  a  border.  -  — ,  FORTUNE'S  (A.  Fortunei). 
The  only  hardy  variegated  kind,  and  an  old  favorite;  3  to  4  feet  high. 
Foliage  striped  with  white.  Give  deep,  rich,  well-drained  situation, 
with  plenty  of  moisture,  with  protection  from  prevailing  winter 
winds.  Mulch  for  the  first  few  years. 

*BLUE  FESCUE  (Festuca  glaucd).  Deep,  silvery  blue,  in  tufts.  Flourishes 
in  moderate  shade.  6  to  12  inches.  Worth  growing  for  its  colour. 

*CANARY  GRASS,  RIBBON  GRASS  (Pbalaris  arundinacea).  With 
whitish  drooping  spike-like  panicles.  Leaves  narrow.  5  to  6 
feet.  For  wild  effects,  spreading  very  freely  by  underground 
shoots.  The  variegated  form  (var.  variegata)  is  the  common  ribbon 
grass.  Leaves  longitudinally  striped  with  white.  Grow  in  a  sunken 
drain  tile  to  prevent  spreading. 

*EULALIA  (Miscantkus  Sinensis).  The  prettiest  lawn  specimen  grass; 
4  to  9  feet.  Long,  narrow  leaves,  drooping  most  gracefully.  Old 
clumps  may  be  5  or  6  feet  through. (var.  variegatus).  Longi- 
tudinally striped  yellow. ,  ZEBRA  GRASS  (var.  Zebrinus).  Banded 

yellow,  not  quite  hardy. ,  JAPANESE  RUSH  (var.  gracillimus). 

Very  narrow  leaves;  \  inch.  Exceedingly  effective  for  small  gardens. 

*PAMPAS  GRASS  (Gynerium  argented).  The  most  beautiful  of  the  taller 
grasses.  Foliage  long,  narrow,  drooping;  8  to  10  feet.  Not  hardy 
in  extreme  North,  but  may  be  wintered  with  slight  covering.  Beau- 
tiful white  silken  plumes  in  the  fall,  but  in  some  varieties  varying  to 
carmine,  violet  and  purple.  Give  light,  rich  soil,  with  moderate 
moisture.  Will  flower  in  two  years  from  seed. 

*PENNISETUM  (Pennisetum  villosurri).  Best  dwarf  grass.  Valuable  for 
edging;  I  to  2  feet.  Leaves  long,  narrow,  drooping.  Not  hardy, 
but  may  be  raised  annually  from  seed  sown  February  or  March. 
Old  plants  may  be  dug  and  stored  away  from  frost.  Flowers  in 

feathery,  brownish  spikes,  2  to  4  inches  long.  ,  (P.  Ruppellii) . 

More  graceful,  but  slightly  taller,  with  longer  spikes. 


Bulbs,  Tuberous  Plants  and  Grasses  287 

*RAVENNA  GRASS  (Eriatbus  Ravenna).  Ranks  next  to  the  great  reed 
in  beauty.  4  to  7  feet.  For  single  specimens.  Narrow  leaves, 
gracefully  arching.  Plumes  resemble  pampas  grass,  but  smaller. 
Prefers  sunny  situation,  and  is  excellent  for  aquatic  effects.  Plumes 
first  year  from  seed  sown  February  or  March. 

*REED,  GREAT  (Arundo  Donax).  8  to  15  feet.  Somewhat  resembling 
a  glorified  corn  plant.  Broad  leaves.  Light  green.  Makes  a  huge 
clump  when  established.  Var.  vanegatus,  with  yellow  variegations, 
4^  feet.  Var.  macrophylla,  less  hardy.  Has  glaucous  blue  foliage, 
very  effective.  These  are  the  tallest  and  most  stately  of  all  the 
grasses. 

RUSH,  JAPANESE.     See  EULALIA. 

*RIBBON  GRASS.     See  CANARY  GRASS. 

*SPIKE  GRASS  (Uniola  lati folia).  A  native  grass,  worth  growing  in  the 
gardens.  Flowers  in  July.  2  to  4  feet.  Spikelets  large  and  thin, 
drooping  when  ripe,  when  it  is  most  effective.  Useful  for  winter 
bouquets. 

ZEBRA  GRASS.     See  EULALIA. 


THE  ROSE  GARDEN 


"A  garden  is  a  lovesome  thing,  God  wot! 
Rose  plot, 

Fringed  pool, 
Fern'd  grot  — 

The  veriest  school 
Of  peace;  and  yet  the  fool 

Contends  that  God  is  not  — 
Not  God!  in  gardens!  when  the  eve  is  cool? 
Nay,  but  I  have  a  sign; 
'Tis  very  sure  God  walks  in  mine." 

—  THOMAS  EDWARD  BROWN. 


CHAPTER    XIV 

THE    ROSE    GARDEN 

NOT  every  one  who  loves  roses  and  fain  would  grow  a  few 
has  a  garden  for  them  exclusively,  nor  even  any  plot  of 
ground  that  might  properly  be  termed  a  garden  at  all. 
Happily,  some  roses  will  grow  almost  anywhere,  and  one  need  not 
put  trust  in  riches  to  secure  them,  for,  beyond  all  other  flowers, 
the  rose  rewards  her  devoted,  faithful  lovers,  however  humble, 
rather  than  the  indifferent  spendthrift,  with  her  smiles.  "He  who 
would  have  beautiful  roses,"  wrote  Dean  Hole  —  than  whom  who 
should  speak  with  greater  authority  ?  —  "must  love  them  well  and 
always.  To  win  he  must  woo,  as  Jacob  wooed  Laban's  daughter, 
though  drought  and  frost  consume.  He  must  have  not  only  the 
glowing  admiration,  the  enthusiasm,  and  the  passion,  but  the 
thoughtfulness,  the  reverence,  the  watchfulness  of  love.  With  no 
ephemeral  caprice,  like  the  fair  young  knight's  who  loves  and 
who  rides  away  when  his  sudden  fire  is  gone  from  the  cold  white 
ashes,  the  cavalier  of  the  rose  has  Semper  fidelis  upon  his  crest 
and  shield."  Which  is  a  pretty  way  of  saying  that  a  devoted 
cottager  may  easily  have  more  beautiful  roses  than  the  indifferent 
millionaire.  Indeed,  many  of  the  most  wonderful  roses  exhibited 
at  the  shows  in  English  cities  are  grown  by  workingmen.  The 
head-waiter  in  a  famous  London  hotel  grows  roses  in  his  suburban 
dooryard  that  would  put  to  the  blush  the  best  products  of  many 
American  money  kings,  whose  vaunted  executive  ability  relegates 
to  unimpassioned  eye-servers  the  complete  control  of  their  gardens. 
It  is  granted  at  the  outset  that  a  cool,  moist  climate  is  the  principal 

291 


292  The  American  Flower  Garden 

factor  of  success  with  roses  across  the  sea,  but  by  a  selection  of 
varieties  adapted  to  our  hotter  and  colder  and  drier  climate,  and 
by  a  more  intelligent  care  of  them,  we,  too,  may  have  roses  of 
surpassing  loveliness. 

Ideals  change  from  generation  to  generation,  even  in  rose 
culture.  We  all  know  some  old-fashioned  rosarian  who  cuts  for 
only  a  brief  season  hundreds  of  roses  a  day  —  mostly  deep  pink 
ones,  shaped  like  cabbages  and  with  finger-length  stems  lest  a 
bud  be  sacrificed  —  which  he  conscientiously  distributes  among 
surfeited,  embarrassed  neighbours,  and  sends  to  the  nearest  hospital 
where  the  patients  risk  an  epidemic  of  rose  cold  every  June.  Then 
the  meteoric  shower  of  his  roses  ends  for  a  year.  If  we  were  now 
obliged  to  grow  bushes  for  eleven  months  to  secure  roses  in  the 
twelfth  only,  and  then  to  have  a  surfeit  of  riches  that  would  enslave 
us  until  their  prodigality  suddenly  ceased,  rose  culture  would 
have  little  foundation  in  reason,  and  would  be  confined  to  the 
ultra-enthusiasts  popularly  called  cranks.  Comparatively  few 
devotees  are  now  content  to  expend  all  their  energies  upon  the 
hybrid  "perpetuals"  (woefully  miscalled)  that  were  once  almost 
exclusively  grown.  Looking  to  the  Orient  as  well  as  to  Europe 
for  our  roses,  the  present-day  amateur  is  satisfied  with  nothing 
less  than  roses  every  day  from  May  until  November  under  the 
open  sky  in  the  latitude  of  New  York,  and  for  a  longer  season 
south  of  it.  Since  1893,  when  the  Wichuraiana  rose  was  intro- 
duced from  Japan  by  Mr.  Jackson  Dawson,  of  the  Arnold  Arbore- 
tum, since  the  Japanese  rugosa  rose  came  to  bless  us,  and  vigor- 
ous constitutions  and  floriferous  character  were  supplied  to  the 
crosses  with  perpetual  and  tea  stock,  our  gardens  have  been  won- 
drously  enriched.  Too  long  we  looked  to  Europe  exclusively 
for  roses,  as  we  did  for  evergreens  and  much  other  garden  material 


The  Rose  Garden  293 

quite  unsuited  to  our  climate.  The  present  ideal  is  to  girdle  the 
year  with  roses  as  nearly  as  may  be,  to  cut  them  every  day  from 
frost  to  frost,  from  vines  on  trellises,  porches,  pergolas,  arches, 
fences,  walls  and  trees;  from  banks  and  rocks  cascaded  with 
them,  from  hedges  of  rugosa  and  sweetbrier,  from  shrubbery 
roses  naturalised  along  paths  and  drives,  from  the  wild  garden 
or  the  formal  one,  from  any  nook  or  corner  that  one  may  adorn 
with  a  rose. 

Before  the  May  tulips  have  extinguished  their  flames,  the 
hardy,  clean-leaved  vermin-proof  rugosas  open  and  fill  the  air 
with  the  true  rose  odour.  No  taint  of  the  steamy  hothouse,  reek- 
ing with  tobacco  fumes,  such  as  the  florist's  winter  roses  have  had, 
pollutes  the  pure,  perfect  perfume  of  these  open-air  flowers.  There 
are  single  white  rugosas  and  half-double  ones  which,  like  lovely 
Blanc  Double  de  Coubert,  bloom  lavishly  in  May,  intermittently 
through  the  summer  and  autumn,  and  in  winter  enliven  the  garden 
with  their  great  red  hips,  which  are  almost  as  decorative  as  flowers. 
There  are  light-pink  rugosas,  too,  and  —  admit  it  I  must  — 
deep-dyed,  villainous  magenta  ones,  that  swear  at  almost  every 
colour  in  the  garden,  but  at  none  so  violently  as  at  their  own  seed 
vessels,  for  Nature,  at  least  this  once,  surely  has  lost  her  colour 
sense.  No  apologist  can  reconcile  reddish  purple  flowers  and 
orange-red  hips  on  the  same  bush.  Even  close  by  the  sea,  rugosas 
will  thrive.  For  informal,  undipped  hedges  —  they  resent  severe 
pruning,  and  only  the  oldest,  bark-bound  canes  should  be  removed 
—  for  naturalising  on  banks,  and  along  drives,  where  hybrids 
of  the  half-upright  R.  setigera  make  a  most  lovely  effect  in  July, 
for  longish  plantations  in  the  foreground  of  boundary  belts  of  trees 
and  shrubbery  about  a  place,  and  for  filling  in  considerable  areas 
inexpensively,  there  are  no  roses  to  equal  rugosas;  but  they  make 


294  The  American  Flower  Garden 

too  many  suckers  for  admission  within  the  trimly  kept  rose  garden. 
Some  people  reject  the  flowers  for  indoor  decoration.  Although 
the  fragile  petals  of  the  single  roses  fall  after  a  day,  buds  open 
continuously  in  water,  just  as  our  native  wild  rosebuds  do,  and 
the  rugosa's  value  for  cut  flowers,  each  of  which  brings  its  own 
beautiful  setting  of  dark  green,  glossy,  crinkled  foliage,  free  from 
insects  and  disease,  is  appreciated  by  the  discerning. 

These  Japanese  roses,  wild  and  hybrid,  have  scarcely  reached 
their  high  tide  of  bloom  when  the  yellow  briers  bring  us  their  one 
meagre  but  precious  offering  of  the  year.  Except  in  old-fashioned 
gardens,  one  rarely  sees  Persian  yellow,  Austrian  copper  and 
Scotch  roses  now;  nevertheless,  if  only  for  sentiment's  sake,  the 
modern  garden  will  not  lack  these  charming  little  roses  beloved 
by  our  grandmothers.  After  a  warm,  gentle  rain,  what  delicious 
incense  arises  from  another  favourite  of  theirs,  the  sweetbrier! 
The  small-flowered,  fragrant-leaved,  wild  eglantine  of  Shakespeare's 
day  has  benefited  by  many  modern  improvements  at  the  hands 
of  the  hybridiser,  and  of  the  sixteen  varieties  of  Penzance  sweet- 
briers  all  are  good.  Some  are  exquisitely  tinted.  None  responds 
encouragingly  to  high  cultivation,  however.  Once  planted  in  rich, 
heavy  soil,  about  ten  feet  apart,  all  they  ask  is  the  support  of  a 
trellis  or  fence,  and  to  be  let  alone.  Tied  upon  pillars  or  arches 
in  an  attempt  to  tame  these  more  than  half-wild  revellers,  they 
never  look  so  well  as  when  the  long,  vigorous  canes  are  allowed  to 
follow  their  own  sweet  will. 

June  is  and  probably  ever  will  be  with  us  the  month  of  roses, 
however  much  we  may  hasten  and  prolong  their  season.  Then, 
and  only  then,  are  the  hybrid  "perpetuals"  in  their  glory  on 
American  soil  but  in  spite  of  their  limitations,  ignored  in  their 
name,  they  bid  fair  to  remain  for  awhile  the  main  stock  of  the  rose 


ALONG  ISLAND  GARDEN  WHERE  ROSES  ARE  GATHERED    EVERY  DAY  FROM  MAY  UNTIL 
THANKSGIVING,  WITH  A  TIDAL  WAVE  OF  BLOOM  IN  JUNE 


MARIE  VAN  HOUTTE — A  TOO-TENDER  TEA  ROSE  FOR  SAFE  CULTIVATION 
IN  NORTHERN  GARDENS 


The  Rose  Garden  295 

garden  and  the  dooryard.  Who  that  has  a  little  strip  of  land  to  spare 
would  forego  the  superlative  white,  pink,  and  deep  velvety  crimson 
beauty  of  Frau  Karl  Drusehki,  Baroness  Rothschild  and  Prince 
Camille  de  Rohan?  Soft-petalled,  pink  damask  roses  that  fill 
the  old-fashioned  garden  with  a  delicious  attar  scent  —  and  no 
modern  descendants  have  yet  surpassed  these  ancient  favorites 
—  snowballs  of  Mme.  Plantier,  and  French  roses  to  dry  for  the 
potpourri  jar,  clouds  of  diminutive  polyantha  roses,  pillar  roses, 
bushes  and  trailers,  intoxicate  the  senses  with  their  varied  love- 
liness in  "June,  dear  June;  now  God  be  praised  for  June!" 

In  the  South  and  in  California  tea  roses  abound  in  every 
favoured  garden  for  many  months,  to  the  envy  of  rose  lovers  in 
colder  climes,  who  are  denied  the  charms  of  this  lovely  class 
except  in  hothouses.  Occasionally  an  enthusiast  in  the  North 
risks  planting  teas  in  the  open,  covers  the  plants  completely  in 
winter,  coddles  and  coaxes  them,  only  to  find  many  of  his 
precious  pets  lifeless  after  the  ice  thaws.  But  within  a  few  years 
a  wonderful  new  race  of  roses  has  been  developed :  roses  with  the 
hardiness  of  the  hybrid  perpetuals,  the  chaste  form  and  the  delicate, 
refined  fragrance  of  teas,  and,  above  all,  their  habit  of  blooming 
freely  throughout  the  summer  and  autumn.  Now,  indeed,  are 
rose  gardens  well  worth  while.  Now  is  the  long  season  of  the  rosa- 
rian's  discontent  made  glorious  with  these  peerless  roses.  Of  the 
hundred  and  fifty  varieties  rapidly  given  by  the  hybridisers  to  a 
clamouring,  grateful  public,  perhaps  only  a  tenth  are  of  permanent 
value  to  northern  growers,  but  the  chosen  are  roses  of  such  sur- 
passing loveliness  that  many  an  amateur  fills  his  garden  with  them 
alone.  Killarney's  long-pointed,  perfect  pink  buds  that  slowly 
expand  and  last  for  days  indoors  without  dropping  a  petal  on  the 
mahogany  that  mirrors  their  satisfying  beauty;  Caroline  Testout, 


296  The  American  Flower  Garden 

of  bluer  pink  and  more  rounded  form,  but  a  charmer  none  the 
less;  and  La  France,  for  its  rich,  oily,  attar  perfume,  if  no  other 
pink  ones,  he  must  have;  Kaiserin  Augusta  Victoria,  a  superla- 
tively lovely,  large,  robust  white  rose;  Alice  Grahame;  Bessie 
Brown;  Antoine  Rivoire;  Mme.  Ravary  and  Mme.  Abel  Chatenay, 
of  exquisite,  soft  apricot  tint,  suggesting  the  tender  tea  Safrano; 
the  vivid  Liberty  red;  and  the  bushy  Gruss  an  Teplitz,  whose 
crimson  roses,  unstintedly  produced  well  above  the  deep-toned 
foliage  tipped  with  maroon,  keep  the  garden  bright  when  all  others 
fail  —  the  little  list  may  be  amended  or  increased  by  every  rose- 
grower  who,  in  his  particular  section  and  under  different  con- 
ditions, has  discovered  the  merits  of  roses  better  adapted  to  them; 
but  he  will  certainly  test  these.  From  May  till  killing  frost  he  may 
rely  upon  cutting  from  his  garden  such  roses  from  these  bushes  as 
in  former  years  came  only  from  greenhouses  in  the  North. 
Midsummer  heat  and  drought,  it  is  true,  somewhat  diminish 
their  numbers,  but  never  more  should  there  be  famine  in  the 
well-cared-for  rose  garden. 

And  where  shall  that  be  made,  and  how  tended  ? 

A  tree  may  be  said  to  spread  its  roots  as  many  feet  from  the 
trunk  as  it  is  high;  therefore  the  rosarian  will  not  place  his  darlings 
where  their  rich  repasts  will  tempt  greedy  thieves.  But  roses,  like 
all  other  flowers  in  the  garden  picture,  need  a  background  and  a 
frame;  and  trees  at  a  safe  distance,  encircling  the  rose  plot  or  act- 
ing as  a  shelter  on  its  coldest,  most  windy  side  —  especially  ever- 
green trees  there  —  add  greatly  to  its  beauty  and  comfort.  Into 
some  of  the  trees  rambler  roses  may  climb  and  toss  into  the  air 
sprays  of  pink  and  crimson.  But  the  trees  should  not  be  so  dense 
as  to  interfere  with  a  free  circulation  of  air,  or  there  will  be  mildew 
and  other  fungous  troubles  to  fight  continually;  nor  should  pro- 


The  Rose  Garden  297 

tecting  trees  stand  near  enough  to  the  roses  to  shade  their  wards. 
Red  roses  that  fade  unpleasantly  bluish  in  strong  sunlight  would 
better  take  back  seats  in  the  lightly  shaded  places,  if  there  be  any 
such.  An  enclosing  hedge  of  hemlock,  arborvitae,  or  the  ubiqui- 
tous privet  about  a  rose  garden  protects  it  almost  as  well  as  a  wall, 
and  makes  a  far  more  effective  foil  for  the  flowers;  but  the  roots 
of  the  evergreens  should  be  kept  from  robbing  the  roses  by 
partitions  of  concrete,  boards  or  ashes,  as  explained  in  the 
perennial  chapter. 

A  wonderfully  beautiful  garden  has  a  rose  entwined  and 
canopied  pergola  running  entirely  around  its  four  sides  and  within 
a  breast-high  hemlock  hedge.  Here  are  easy  chairs  and  tea- 
table,  sewing-baskets  and  books  in  plenty,  sunshine  and  shade, 
the  sound  of  splashing  water  in  the  central  fountain,  the  com- 
panionship of  birds  that  come  to  bathe  and  to  drink  in  the  pool, 
the  fragrance  of  roses  inhaled  with  every  breath,  colour  to  delight 
one,  and  an  entrancing  picture  from  every  seat  in  the  open-air 
living-room.  What  a  delicious  place  to  rest!  After  centuries 
of  running  after  false  notions  of  what  constitute  home  comforts, 
shall  we  not  return  to  the  Roman's  idea  of  living  in  a  garden  — 
if  not  in  the  flower-filled  courtyard  of  a  house,  as  he  did,  then  in  a 
verdant  enclosure  near  it  ? 

The  shape  of  the  rose  garden  may  depend  upon  the  site  avail- 
able for  it,  but  one  that  is  formal  in  outline  and  the  arrangement 
of  its  beds,  yet  with  the  curse  of  flatness  and  rigidity  obliterated 
by  arches,  pillars  and  festoons  of  rose  vines,  has  practical  as  well 
as  artistic  merits.  It  need  not  be  large  nor  costly  to  make  or  to 
maintain.  A  fountain,  an  arbour,  a  sundial,  a  picturesque  old 
tree  with  a  circular  seat  around  its  trunk,  a  clump  of  big  boxwood 
or  a  bed  of  especially  beautiful  roses,  may  be  its  central  feature, 


298  The  American  Flower  Garden 

and  around  that  the  remaining  space  should  be  divided  off  into 
beds  that  can  be  easily  reached  at  every  point  from  a  box-edged 
path.  The  favourite  parallelogram  running  north  and  south 
need  not  have  its  subdivisions  follow  straight  lines.  Semi-circular 
or  crescent  beds  at  its  four  corners  imply  the  partial  curves  of  all 
other  beds  and  the  paths  lying  between  them  and  the  central 
feature.  Or  the  parallelogram  may  have  curved  ends  or  sides 
to  admit  recessed  garden  seats  set  close  against  the  evergreen 
hedge.  Geometric  designs  seem  forbidding  when  talked  about 
or  drawn  on  paper,  but  a  well-balanced  and  thought-out  rose  gar- 
den, so  fully  planted  that  its  formal  lines  are  nearly  lost  in  the 
verdure  of  rose  bushes  or  softened  by  sprays  of  flowers,  its  paths 
over-canopied  by  luscious  vines  at  intersecting  points,  its  arches 
draped,  its  pillars  or  rustic  lattices  twined  with  roses,  every  vista 
ending  in  a  beautiful  picture,  can  give  pleasure  beyond  the  dreams 
of  the  unimaginative.  To  come  upon  such  a  garden  unexpectedly, 
through  an  entrance  that  gives  no  hint  of  what  is  hidden  within, 
is  like  suddenly  entering  Paradise.  If  a  rose  garden  be  forbidding, 
it  is  because  there  is  too  much  design  in  evidence,  and  not  enough 
luxuriance  of  growth  to  subordinate  it. 

No  rose  garden  should  be  situated  in  low  ground  that  holds 
water:  perfect  drainage  is  essential  to  its  health.  Yet,  where 
a  house  is  perched  on  a  bleak  hill-top,  the  roses  are  happier  a 
little  distance  below.  There  are  few  lovelier  sights  from  a  terrace 
than  a  thriving  garden  lying  under  the  lee  of  a  hill.  But  roses  will 
never  be  lovely  if  they  have  wet  feet,  and  a  low-lying  garden  may 
require  either  tile  draining,  or  an  eight-inch  layer  of  broken  stone, 
bricks,  or  gravel  laid  under  the  rose  beds  at  a  depth  of  three  feet. 

If  possible,  prepare  the  soil  for  your  rose  beds  that  are  to 
be  planted  in  the  spring  five  or  six  months  previous.  Save  at  one 


o  « 


The  Rose  Garden  299 

side  the  sod  and  best  soil  below  it,  removing  the  subsoil,  if  it  be 
poor,  to  the  depth  of  three  feet,  and  loosening  the  floor  of  the  bed 
with  a  pick.  Mix  about  equal  parts  of  good  soil  and  thoroughly 
decomposed  cow  manure  for  a  deep  layer  that  is  spread  over  the 
bottom  of  the  bed,  then  the  sod  well  broken,  the  top  soil  and  more 
old  manufe  thoroughly  intermixed,  and  finally  a  top  dressing  of 
good  garden  soil,  unenriched.  All  the  fertiliser  should  be  incor- 
porated with  the  soil  in  the  lower  two-thirds  of  the  bed.  No  rose, 
newly  set  out,  should  have  its  roots  within  striking  distance  of 
manure,  however  old  it  may  be.  After  the  plant  begins  to  grow 
in  its  new  home  it  draws  the  rich  moisture  from  below  and  appro- 
priates it  readily  enough  as  the  need  arises.  Beds  that  are  piled 
a  little  higher  than  the  surrounding  land  in  autumn  when  they  are 
made  have  usually  settled  by  spring  to  the  desired  level  —  about 
an  inch  below  the  surrounding  surface,  which  enables  them  to 
retain  rainfall.  They  should  never  be  so  high  as  to  dry  out. 
Different  roses  like  different  soils:  the  hybrid  perpetuals  prefer 
heavy  loam  containing  some  clay  and  the  humus  furnished  by  well- 
rotted  sod;  hybrid  teas,  noisettes,  Bourbons  and  ramblers  a 
lighter,  warmer  soil,  with  sand  and  leaf-mould  intermixed  and 
added  to  the  original  compost  in  the  proportion  of  one  to  four. 

For  practical  as  well  as  aesthetic  reasons  it  is  best  to  grow 
each  kind  of  rose  in  a  bed  to  itself  —  some  rosarians  separate 
types,  others  give  each  colour  a  plot  of  its  own.  For  hybrid 
perpetuals  a  bed  four  feet  wide  suffices,  as  a  double  row  of 
roses  can  be  set  out  in  it,  the  plants  not  directly  but  diagonally 
opposite  one  another,  two  and  a  half  feet  apart,  where  they  will 
not  interfere  with  the  air  and  light  of  their  companions.  Almost 
all  hybrid  teas  may  be  grown  in  beds  three  feet  wide  inside  the 
boxwood  or  sod  borders,  the  plants  set  out  eight  inches  from  the 


300  The  American  Flower  Garden 

edge  and  two  feet  apart;  but  an  exception  to  the  rule  is  the  Gruss 
an  Teplitz,  for  example,  which  quickly  attains  the  size  of  a  bush 
requiring  a  bed  made  on  a  more  generous  scale.  Kaiserin  Augusta 
Victoria,  lovely  creature,  is  a  buxom  beauty,  vigorous  and  free. 
She,  too,  needs  plenty  of  room  to  display  her  immaculate  charms. 
Many  rosarians  set  out  pansies,  English  daisies,  alyssum,  migno- 
nette or  other  low-growing  plants  between  the  roses  to  carpet  the 
earth  with  bloom. 

When  buying  roses,  the  general  rule  holds  good :  it  is  economy 
in  the  end  to  get  only  the  best  quality  of  stock  from  the  most 
reliable  dealer.  The  market  is  flooded  with  roses  alleged  to  be 
cheap,  but  in  reality  they  are  very  small,  weak,  inferior  plants,  not 
really  worth  half  what  is  asked  for  them.  A  dozen  such  would 
not  furnish  the  real  joy  contained  in  one  large,  healthy,  super- 
latively fine  plant  that  one  need  not  sit  up  nights  to  coddle.  Gener- 
ally it  is  best  to  buy  roses  that  have  been  budded  on  the  vigorous 
Manetti  stock.  The  brier  stock,  so  popular  in  England,  is  not  so 
well  suited  to  our  dryer,  hotter  climate.  Only  a  few  roses  —  Caro- 
line Testout,  Ulrich  Brunner  and  Magna  Charta  among  them- 
do  so  well  on  their  own  roots.  Always  plant  the  rose  deep  enough 
for  the  point  where  the  bud  was  inserted  to  be  well  covered  with 
soil  —  with  a  good  three  inches  of  it  —  otherwise  Manetti  suckers 
may  develop.  These  wild  shoots  may  be  detected  at  once  by  the 
seven  serrated  leaflets  instead  of  five  to  the  leaf,  and  the  minute 
prickles  on  the  stem.  Remove  the  earth  around  the  shoot  down 
to  where  it  leaves  the  stock,  pare  it  off  close  and  so  discourage  any 
rare  attempt  that  may  be  made  to  revert  to  the  wild. 

When  the  plants  arrive  from  the  dealer  in  the  spring,  as  soon 
as  severe  frost  is  over,  lay  them  flat  in  a  hole  and  cover  them  entirely 
with  soil  for  a  day  or  two  if  they  look  shrivelled  from  long  travel, 


The  Rose  Garden  301 

or  if  you  are  not  quite  ready  to  set  them  out  with  that  leisurely 
carefulness  that  so  well  repays  the  rosarian.  Examine  each  plant, 
and  cut  off  with  a  sharp  knife  or  pruning-shears  all  broken  roots, 
bruised  stalks,  weak  growth,  long  canes  that  may  be  whipped  by 
the  wind,  and  any  eyes  that  can  be  detected  below  the  bud  on  the 
Manetti  stock,  lest  they  develop  later.  Take  from  the  hole  where 
the  roses  have  been  heeled  in,  or  from  their  protecting  cover,  only 
one  plant  at  a  time,  and  set  it  out  immediately,  lest  its  roots  dry 
out  in  the  wind  and  sun.  Two  pairs  of  hands  are  better  than  one 
when  it  comes  to  planting  roses  —  one  is  needed  to  hold  the  plant 
in  position  while  the  other  pair  spreads  out  the  roots  horizontally, 
in  such  a  way  that  they  do  not  cross  one  another,  and  covers  them 
with  the  finely  worked  soil,  which  should  be  firmly  pressed  down 
with  the  boot.  Stamping  will  pack  it  none  too  firmly,  for  air  spaces 
around  the  roots  are  fatal.  Pot-grown  roses  for  late  planting  must 
be  set  out  just  as  their  cramped  roots  leave  the  terra  cotta  prisons: 
they  cannot  be  spread  without  endangering  the  rose's  life.  If 
many  roses  are  to  be  planted,  in  no  other  way  can  they  be  set  out 
so  quickly  as  in  a  trench  of  the  proper  depth  and  width. 

Over  the  raked  surface  of  the  rose  bed  spread  enough  light 
stable  litter,  short  hay,  leaves,  or  grass  cuttings  from  the  lawn  to 
screen  the  sun  from  the  soil  and  prevent  it  from  baking.  In  every 
newly  planted  garden  this  mulch  should  be  left  on  all  summer. 
It  is  not  pretty;  it  is  rather  troublesome  to  lift  off  and  replace  when 
the  surface  of  the  soil  needs  stirring  with  a  hoe  once  a  month;  but 
the  mulch  increases  the  vigour  if  it  does  not  save  the  life  of  every  rose 
you  set  out;  moreover,  it  keeps  down  weeds.  Hybrid  teas  and 
teas  are  especially  dependent  upon  it  if  they  are  to  bloom  at 
midsummer.  Only  well-established,  deep-rooted  roses  can  safely 
do  without  it  during  drought.  It  prevents  much  loss  of  moisture. 


302  The  American  Flower  Garden 

However,  it  does  not  lessen  the  necessity  for  showering  the  roses 
frequently  with  a  light  spray  from  a  hose,  which  also  keeps 
the  foliage  clean  and  healthy. 

To  stimulate  growth,  coarse,  medium,  or  fine  bone-meal 
stirred  into  the  soil  about  roses  is  excellent,  and  slow  or  rapid  in 
its  effects  in  proportion  to  the  size  of  the  grains.  Frequent  wettings 
of  weak  manure  water  after  buds  begin  to  form  —  a  pailful  of 
old  rotten  manure  from  the  cow  barn  or  pigsty  to  a  barrel  of  water 
supplies  a  tonic  that  looks  like  weak  tea  —  are  preferable  to  stronger 
draughts,  which  either  over-stimulate  or  burn  the  plants.  "Weak 
and  often"  is  the  safe  rule.  A  half-gallon  to  each  plant  produces 
effects  that  are  noticeable  within  a  week.  Do  not  besmirch  the 
foliage  with  it,  but  apply  it  directly  to  the  soil  about  the  roots. 
A  top  dressing  of  wood  ashes  in  the  spring  restores  potash  to  the 
soil  if  it  has  been  depleted  by  old  plants.  Light  refreshments 
during  the  summer,  and  the  feeding  that  results  from  a  three- 
inch  covering  of  rough  manure  during  the  winter,  suffice  to  pro- 
duce splendid  roses;  but  no  roses  will  be  splendid  unless  they  are 
liberally  fed  and  watered.  Also  they  must  be  protected  from  their 
enemies. 

What  are  they?  In  sandy  soil  the  most  formidable  is  the 
rose-beetle;  elsewhere  it  is  less  troublesome  and  in  some  favoured 
places  does  not  exist.  Soft-petalled  flowers  like  the  damask  and 
Mme.  Plantier  are  its  special  favourites,  but  none,  perhaps,  does 
it  wholly  ignore,  and  with  diabolical  wickedness  it  goes  straight  to 
the  heart  of  the  rose.  Picking  off  the  villains  by  hand  and  dropping 
them  into  a  can  half-filled  with  kerosene  is  even  more  effective 
than  spraying  with  arsenate  of  lead  which,  however,  is  discouraging 
to  the  pest's  posterity  and  therefore  should  not  be  neglected.  On 
tender  new  shoots  the  little  aphides  or  green  flies,  in  countless 


The  Rose  Garden  303 

numbers,  suck  away  the  plant's  vitality.  Inasmuch  as  they,  like 
the  poor,  are  likely  to  be  always  with  us,  the  rosarian  will  prepare 
half  a  barrelful  of  whale-oil-soap  solution  before  their  first  appear- 
ance, and  spray  the  pests  regularly  until  they  disappear.  If  the 
fight  begin  in  time,  a  victory  is  easily  won  which,  indeed,  may  be 
said  of  any  warfare  waged  for  roses.  Enemies  sometimes  multiply 
a  thousandfold  in  a  single  day.  For  the  slugs  which  skeletonise 
the  rose  leaves  use  powdered  white  hellebore.  Dissolve  one 
heaping  tablespoonful  of  the  poison  in  a  pailful  of  boiling  water 
and  after  the  decoction  has  cooled,  sprinkle  it  on  the  under  side 
of  the  leaves  from  a  whisk  broom.  To  get  at  them  properly  bend 
over  the  top  of  the  plant  until  the  hiding-place  of  the  slugs  is 
exposed.  One  application  usually  discourages  them  for  the  season. 
Old  wood  may  attract  the  bark  louse  or  white  scale,  which  is  best 
treated  during  the  winter.  Fifteen  grains  of  the  deadly  poison, 
corrosive  sublimate,  dissolved  in  a  pint  of  water,  make  a  wash 
that  they  cannot  withstand.  Brush  it  over  the  woody  old  canes. 
So  much  for  insect  pests. 

Bordeaux,  powdered  or  in  solution,  and  potassium  sulphide 
are  our  staunch  allies  in  the  eternal  warfare  waged  against  mildew, 
rust,  and  the  lesser  evils  of  a  fungous  nature  resulting  from  a  wet, 
hot  season.  The  more  energetically  one  fights  these  at  the  outset, 
the  less  need  one  do  later.  Thrifty,  clean  foliage,  the  lungs  of  the 
plant  and  the  setting  for  the  roses,  contributes  very  greatly  to 
their  health  and  charm.  The  results  of  our  efforts  are  cumulative: 
well-tended,  vigorous  rose  bushes  have  very  few  troubles  indeed. 
Let  not  the  doubting  heart  of  the  novice  be  afraid.  All  the  possible 
evils  that  have  been  enumerated  never  come,  perhaps,  to  the  same 
garden,  but  any  one  might  appear.  Emphasis  of  the  strongest 
kind  is  laid  on  the  joy  of  growing  healthy  roses. 


304  The  American  Flower  Garden 

Except  for  the  cutting  back  of  the  longest  canes,  lest  the  wind 
whip  them  and  thereby  loosen  the  roots,  it  is  best  to  defer  the 
pruning  of  roses  until  early  spring,  and  then  to  begin  on  the  hardiest 
of  them,  the  hybrid  perpetuals.  For  flowers  of  superior  quality, 
cut  out  all  weak  growth,  retaining  only  the  most  vigorous  canes 
which  require  shortening  in  proportion  to  the  plant's  development. 
If  the  bush  be  big  and  strong,  leave  eight  or  ten  inches  of  cane; 
if  it  be  young  or  delicate,  half  that  height  will  be  enough  for  the 
roots  to  support.  Cut  cleanly,  sharply  through  the  cane  a  little 
above  a  bud,  so  as  not  to  injure  it,  and  choose  for  the  top  one  a  bud 
that  is  on  the  outside  of  the  cane;  for,  if  a  bud  that  points  inward 
be  left  at  the  top,  the  lusty  shoot  which  presently  develops  from  it 
shuts  out  air  and  light  from  the  centre  of  the  bush,  the  very  part 
that  should  be  kept  open.  Encourage  growth  on  the  outside  of 
the  plant;  cut  off  cleanly  the  shoots  that  would  grow  inward.  If  , 
quantities  of  flowers  are  wanted  for  their  effect  in  the  garden, 
rather  than  fewer  roses  superlatively  fine,  prune  less  drastically. 
But  be  it  observed  that  the  generous  gardener,  who  cuts  roses  with 
long  stems  and  never  hesitates  to  sacrifice  a  few  buds  to  complete 
the  beauty  of  a  spray,  is  the  one  who  is  rewarded  with  the  finest 
flowers.  Plants  invariably  produce  more  flower  buds  than  their 
strength  allows  them  to  develop  well.  They  would  merely  exhaust 
themselves  in  an  effort  that  the  wise  gardener  does  not  permit. 
Therefore,  cut  the  roses,  with  their  attendant  buds,  as  long  as  they 
last.  Whenever  in  doubt,  cut.  "  Gather  ye  rosebuds  while  ye  may/' 
but  as  early  in  the  morning  as  possible,  before  the  sun  softens  the 
stems  and  petals.  Roses  that  are  laid  in  a  bath  of  cold  water  for  an 
hour  before  they  are  arranged  in  vases  become  firm  and  refreshed, 
which,  of  course,  is  as  true  of  other  flowers.  From  fifty  bushes  you 
should  be  able  to  half  fill  a  bathtub  every  morning  during  the  season. 


The  Rose  Garden  305 

While  it  injures  no  rose  bush  or  vine  to  cut  its  blossoms,  there 
are  some  roses  which  it  pays  to  ignore  during  the  spring  pruning. 
Bourbon  roses  will  not  bloom  on  new  wood  —  therefore  the  shears 
should  be  used  very  lightly  on  the  old.  Rugosas  and  briers,  too, 
require  little  attention  unless  the  old  canes  become  bark  bound. 
As  for  the  pillar  roses,  their  situation  and  use  would  best  dictate 
their  treatment,  for  on  lattices  their  lateral  shoots  need  encourage- 
ment to  spread  by  shortening  the  top  leaders,  while  on  posts  the 
laterals  will  be  cut  back  to  an  eye  or  two  as  an  inducement  for 
the  vine  to  lengthen  and  twine.  Teas  and  hybrid  teas  resent  hard 
pruning.  Unless  the  shoots  are  very  weak,  do  not  remove  them, 
but  merely  cut  back  their  tops  a  little  after  the  stems  grow  green 
and  the  dormant  buds  begin  to  swell  in  the  spring.  Not  till  then 
can  one  know  how  much  dead  wood  needs  to  be  cut  away.  Strong 
perpetuals  need  hard  pruning. 

There  are  those,  perhaps,  to  whom  the  care  that  some  roses 
require  seems  too  great  for  the  reward,  but  such  captious  critics 
can  never  have  known  the  ineffable  joy  that  comes  to  the  amateur 
who  grows  to  perfection  the  queen  of  flowers. 

THE  ROSARIAN'S  CALENDAR 

The  following  dates,  based  on  an  average  season  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  New  York,  are  by  Capt,  A.  Ward.  Allow  four 
days  for  every  hundred  miles  of  latitude. 

Use  no  insecticides  or  fungicides  unless  there  be  need. 

March  i$th  —  Finish  pruning  hardy  roses  already  planted. 

March  2$th  —  Plant  new  hardy  roses,  pruning  new  plants 
rather  more  severely  than  those  of  the  same  varieties  already 
established. 

April  iyh  —  Finish  pruning  the  tender  varieties  as  far  as 


3o6  The  American  Flower  Garden 

possible  without  uncovering  completely.  Give  to  all  the  beds  and 
to  any  neighbouring  pear  trees,  grape  vines,  phlox,  hollyhocks, 
or  other  plants  subject  to  fungoid  diseases,  which  are  conta- 
gious, a  thorough  spraying  of  Bordeaux  mixture  as  a  preventive. 

April  20th-2$th — Uncover  tender  varieties.  Plant  any  new 
ones  received,  giving  these  a  light,  protecting  mulch.  Give  final 
touches  to  pruning.  Before  roses  are  in  leaf,  toward  the  end  of 
April,  spray  them  with  whale-oil  soap  (one  pound  to  eight  gallons 
of  water)  to  discourage  the  first  insect  pests. 

May  loth  —  Leaves  open.  Spray  with  potassium  sulphide 
(one-half  ounce  to  one  gallon  of  water)  to  prevent  mildew.  Repeat 
spraying  a  week  later  and  perhaps  again  in  a  fortnight. 

May  20th  —  Buds  forming.  Apply  weak  manure  water. 
Second  spraying  of  whale-oil  soap,  if  necessary,  to  annihilate 
aphis  or  other  survivors. 

May  2 yh  —  Earliest  roses  bloom,  rugosas,  followed  by  the 
yellowbriers.  Apply  liquid  manure  to  hybrid  perpetuals. 

June  ist — Hybrid  perpetuals  begin  to  bloom. 

June  jth —  Damask,  Mme.  Plantier,  and  perpetuals  bloom  in 
quantity.  Watch  for  rose  beetle  and  spray  with  arsenate  of  lead 
(five  pounds  to  fifty  gallons  of  water)  if  necessary,  and  at  intervals 
of  a  week  apply  it  again  thrice.  Three  times  apply  liquid  manure 
to  hybrid  teas  and  teas. 

June  2ist  —  Hybrid  perpetuals  and  hybrid  teas  and  tea 
roses  bloom  in  quantity. 

July  $tb  —  As  the  hybrid  perpetuals  diminish,  rambler  and 
shrubbery  roses,  hybrid  teas,  and  teas  supply  a  wealth  of  bloom. 

July  nth  —  Hybrid  teas  and  teas  in  quantity.  Spray 
with  whale-oil  soap  if  aphis  persist.  Rose  bugs  disappear. 
Commence  regular  weekly  applications  of  sulphide  of  potassium 


The  Rose  Garden  307 

for  black  spot  (if  a  wet  season)  or  dilute  Bordeaux  mixture  every 
three  weeks,  until  the  twentieth  of  August,  if  appearance  of  foliage 
indicates  fungoid  troubles  such  as  mildew,  black  spot,  yellow  leaf, 
etc.,  all  depending  on  the  season. 

July  2Oth  —  Have  mulch  on  hybrid  teas  and  teas  by  this 
date  at  the  very  latest.  Earlier,  if  season  be  hot  and  dry. 

August  soth  —  Second  bloom  of  hybrid  teas  and  teas 
begins,  lasting  until  hard  frost.  Apply  liquid  manure  as  buds 
begin  to  form. 

September  i$th  —  Sparse  second  bloom,  never  plentiful,  of 
hybrid  perpetuals  begins. 

October  i$th  —  Prepare  new  beds  for  next  spring  planting. 
Remove  from  old  beds  any  of  the  mulch  that  cannot  be  forked  in. 

November  iyh — Commence  placing  manure  protection  around 
roots;  tenderest  roses  first.  After  a  nip  or  two  of  sharp  frost, 
cover  up  tender  roses  for  the  winter.  Increase  depth  of  protection 
for  other  roses.  Hybrid  tea  buds,  if  covered  before  hard  frost 
with  little  paper  bags,  such  as  are  placed  over  bunches  of  grapes, 
will  unfold  lovely  roses  for  the  Thanksgiving  dinner-table. 

ROSES  FOR  ALL  PURPOSES 

NOTE.  —  The  following  selection  embraces  the  most  reliable  kinds 
and  the  greatest  range  of  colour  for  the  region  of  New  York,  and  is  based 
on  a  close  study  of  the  best  collections.  The  amateur  who  wants  the 
smallest  number  of  varieties  to  give  a  comprehensive  survey  of  the 
rose  family  will  find  those  marked  (*)  to  include  the  best  repre- 
sentatives of  all  the  types  and  colours,  and  covering  the  longest 
season  of  bloom.  They  would  form  a  perfect  skeleton,  as  it  were,  for 
a  representative  rose  garden,  giving  flowers  from  May  to  November, 
in  diverse  types. 

The  classes  are  indicated  in  parentheses  after  the  name,  thus: 
(71.),  tea;  (H.P.),  hybrid  perpetual;  (H.  T.\  hybrid  tea,  a  blending  of 
the  T.  and  H.  A;  (Po/.),  Rosa  polyantha  of  gardens,  not  of  botanists; 
(Hyb.  Wich.),  a  hybrid  of  which  R.  Wichuraiana  is  one  parent,  etc. 


308  The  American  Flower  Garden 

Other  class  indications  are  sufficiently  obvious.     The  species  itself  is 
indicated  by  R.,  for  Rosa. 

SHRUBBERY   ROSES 

For   planting     in    mixed  borders,  for  hedges,   edgings,   and   in  the    less-cared-for 
parts  of  the  garden. 

*BLANC  DOUBLE  DE  COUBERT  (Hyb.  rugosa).  White.  Large,  double, 
with  large,  individual  petals.  Perfectly  hardy.  For  hedges,  town 
and  country.  Do  not  prune. 

*CATHERINE  ZIEMET  (Pol.).  White,  double.  Free  flowering.  Dwarf 
habit.  Excellent  companion  to  Madame  N.  Levavasseur.  Some- 
times called  the  White  Baby  Rambler. 

*CLOTHILDE  SOUPERT  (Pol.).  Flesh  pink  with  darker  centre.  For 
bedding  and  massing.  Profuse  and  continuous  bloomer.  Hardy. 
Erect  habit.  Prune  by  thinning.  There  is  a  climbing  form  of  this. 

*CONRAD  FERDINAND  MEYER  (Hyb.  rugosa).  Silvery  rose.  Double. 
Very  vigorous.  Hardy.  Early  flowering.  For  hedges  or  specimens. 
One  of  the  very  best  roses.  Do  not  prune. 

*DAMASK  (R.  Damascena).  Rose  pink.  June.  Extremely  fragrant. 
Semi-double.  One  of  the  oldest  and  hardiest.  Foliage  pale  green. 
Very  prickly.  Often  confused  with  Rosa  Gallica,  pale  pink  flowers, 
dark  green  foliage  and  few  prickles.  Var.  bicolor,  white  and  rose, 
variegated.  The  old  York  and  Lancaster,  pink  flowers  and  white 
flowers  on  the  same  bush,  is  a  Damask  rose. 

*HARISON'S  YELLOW  (Brier).  Golden  Yellow.  Double.  Summer 
blooming.  For  garden  specimens.  Vigorous.  Hardy.  Flower- 
ing on  old  wood.  Do  not  prune. 

*LuciDA  (R.  lucida).  Light  rose  pink.  For  bush,  hedge,  and  shrub- 
bery. Foliage  effective  all  summer.  In  garden  borders  should 
be  cut  down  completely  every  year  or  two.  Long  fruits  in  winter. 
There  is  also  a  white  variety. 

*MADAME  PLANTIER  (Hyb.  China).  White.  Medium  size,  in  clusters. 
Faint  aromatic  odour.  Leaves  slightly  glossy.  Profuse  early 
bloomer.  One  of  the  best  roses  for  untended  places. 

*RucosA  (R.  rugosa).  Purplish  rose,  and  var.  alba,  white.  Best  rose  for 
ornamental  hedges,  and  especially  for  the  seaside.  Low,  dense  bush. 


The  Rose  Garden 


309 


The  large  single  flowers  are  followed  by  showy,  large  orange  fruits. 

Not  subject  to  disease  or  insect.     Grows  anywhere.     Do  not  prune. 
*SWEET    BRIER    (R.    rubiginosa).     Pale    pink.     Very    vigorous.     For 

bush,  hedge,  or  pillar.     Fragrant  foliage.    Flowers  small  in  clusters. 

Do  not  prune.     Hybrids  of  this   are  the   Penzance   Briers,  which, 

although  excellent  for  hedges  in  half  wild  places,  are  not  as  valuable 

as  the  Wichuraianas  for  pillars. 
*W.  C.  EGAN  (Hyb.  Wich.).     Light  pink.     Large.     Double.     In  small 

clusters.   Foliage  slightly  glossy.    Nearly  always  in  bloom.   Excellent 

for  garden  and  shrubbery. 

BEDDING    ROSES    OF   THE    POLYANTHA    AND    BENGAL    GROUPS 

These  are  the  "  old-fashioned  "  or  "  garden  "  roses,  and  mostly  really  old  varieties, 
producing  clustered  flowers  in  profusion;  not  of  value  for  cutting,  but  highly  decorative  in 
the  garden,  and  often  specially  fragrant.  Flowers  rather  small,  flat,  and  petals  short. 
Prune  by  thinning  and  only  moderate  cutting  back. 

AURORA  (Bengal).     Salmon  yellow.     Floriferous  and  pretty.     Growth 

moderate. 
ETOILE  DE  MAI  (Pol.).     Nankeen  yellow  in  bud,  yellowish  white  when 

open,  fairly  double.     Dwarf. 
EUGENE  LAMESCH  (Po/.).     Little  orange-yellow  flowers  in  trusses  of  five 

to  ten  blooms.     Fragrant.     Dwarf. 
FLOCON  DE  NIEGE  (Po/.).     Pure  white  in  trusses.     Very  free  flowering. 

Rather  stronger  growing  than  most  of  the  type. 
FRAU  SYNDICA  ROELOFFS  (Bengal).     Bright  yellow,    shaded    coppery 

red.     Semi-double.     Moderate. 
LEONIE   LAMESCH    (Po/.).     Bright   red,   with   golden   centre.     Blooms 

fairly  freely.     Very  fragrant.     Dwarf. 

MADAME  E.  RE  SAL  (Bengal).     Bright  rosy  pink,  shaded  orange.    Semi- 
double.     Very  floriferous.     Moderate. 
MADEMOISELLE    CECILE    BRUNNER    (Po/.).      Salmon-pink,    becoming 

white.     One  of  the  "Fairy"   roses,   having  miniature  buds   and 

flowers.     Dwarf. 
MARIE   PAVIE   (Po/.).     White  flowers  with  rosy  centre.     One  of  the 

largest  of  its  class,  and  one  of  the  best.     Should  occupy  the  central 

space  if  bedded  with  other  varieties. 
MIGNONETTE  (Po/.).     Soft  rose,  changing  to  white.     Flowers  in  small 

clusters.     Very  pretty  and  one  of  the  lowest  growing. 


3 io  The  American  Flower  Garden 

PERLE  D'OR  (Pol).     Nankeen  yellow,  with  orange  centre.     Small  and 

full.     Dwarf. 
PERLE  DBS  ROUGES   (Pol.).     Velvety  crimson,  reflex  of  petals  cerise. 

Very  floriferous.     Quite  dwarf. 
*MADAME  NORBERT  LEVAVASSEUR  (Pol.).     Popularly  known  as  Baby 

Rambler.     Cerise.     Profuse    flowering,  in    clusters.     Very  dwarf. 

Hardy.     Continuous  bloomer.     Flowers  on  rooted  cuttings.     Prune 

very  lightly.     Moderate. 

CLIMBING    ROSES    FOR    PILLAR    AND   TRELLIS 

*AGLAIA  (PoL).     Yellow  in  bud,  becoming  white.     Double.     Slightly 

fragrant.     The  nearest  to  yellow  among  the  ramblers.     This,  and 

all  roses  of  similar  habit,  should  be  pruned  merely  by  thinning  out 

the  old  flowering  canes. 
*ALBERIC  BARBIER  (Hyb.   fFich.).     Creamy  white,  yellow  in  the  bud. 

Semi-double.     Medium    sized.     Fragrant.     The  best  white    pillar 

rose  for  size  of  flowers. 
ARD'S  ROVER  (H.  P.).     Crimson,  shaded  maroon.     Flowers  equal  to 

many  of  the  regular  H.  P.  varieties.     Large.     Fragrant.     Blooms 

middle  of  June  and  early  July. 
BALTIMORE  BELLE  (Hyb.  setigera).     Double.     Creamy  white.     Foliage 

light  green.     Blooms  July.     Also  good  for  shrubbery. 
*CARMINE  PILLAR  (H.  P.).     Carmine.     Single.     Three  inches  across. 

Early.  The  largest-flowered  and  deepest-coloured  climber.  Vigorous. 

Do  not  prune. 
*CRIMSON   RAMBLER   (Pol.).      Trusses   of  bright    crimson    flowers    in 

profusion.      For  walls,  pillars,  trellises,  etc.      The  most   popular 

climbing  rose.     Very   vigorous.      Philadelphia  is   very    like    this, 

but    flowers   earlier,    and    not    so    liable    to    disease.       Cut    out 

old  canes. 

*DOROTHY  PERKINS  (Hyb.  Wick.).  Shell  pink.  Double.  In  many- 
flowered,  loose  trusses.  Best  pink  climber.  Closely  resembling 
Crimson  Rambler,  but  more  elegant,  and  with  glossy  foliage. 

*FARQUHAR  (Hyb.  Wicl>\  Bright  pink.  Double.  In  clusters.  Trail- 
ing. For  banks,  walls,  pillars,  etc.  Cut  out  old  canes.  Similar 
to  Dorothy  Perkins  in  habit. 


The  Rose  Garden  311 

*HiAWATHA  (Hyb.  Wich.).  Bright  crimson.  Single,  with  showy  yellow 
stamens.  Free  flowering  in  clusters. 

*LEUCHTSTERN  (Pol.).  Bright  rose  with  white  eye.  Single  in  large 
clusters.  Resembles  Crimson  Rambler  in  habit.  The  most  effec- 
tive bright-coloured  single  for  pillar  and  trellis. 

*MEMORIAL  (R.  Wicburaiana).  Climbing.  Small  white  flowers.  Very 
vigorous.  Shining,  almost  evergreen  foliage.  For  draping  walls, 
banks,  rocks,  etc.  Do  not  prune.  Will  self  sow. 

*MULTIFLORA  (R.  multiflord).  Pure  white.  Single,  in  many-flowered 
clusters.  Very  vigorous.  The  most  showy  white  climber.  Pillar, 
arch,  hedge,  and  shrubbery.  Do  not  prune. 

*PiNK  ROAMER  (Hyb.  Wicb.).  Bright  pink.  Fragrant.  Single.  J 
inch  diameter.  In  large,  dense  clusters.  Rampant,  free-growing 
climber.  Excellent  for  naturalising.  Do  not  prune. 

*PRAIRIE  ROSE  (R.  settgera).  Dull  rose.  Single.  Large.  In  many- 
flowered  clusters.  Very  late,  end  of  July.  Hardy.  The  only  late 
single  climber.  Leaf  is  characteristic,  hairy,  and  dull  light  green. 

*QuEEN  OF  THE  PRAIRIE  (Hyb.  settgera).  Rosy  red,  usually  with  white 
stripe.  Large,  light  foliage.  Later  flowering  than  most  other 
climbers,  end  of  July.  Unsurpassed  for  arbours. 

*SiNGLE  MUSK  (R.  moschata,  var.  alba).  Pure  white.  Single.  Large, 
in  few-flowered  clusters.  For  trellises,  pillars,  etc. 

THE    TEA-SCENTED    ROSES 

Unsurpassed  for  delicacy  of  colours  and  fascinating  shadings  in  pink,  yellow,  and 
coppery  bronze;  there  are  no  really  dark  reds  in  the  true  teas.  These  are  the  tenderest  of 
the  family,  and,  except  in  the  South  and  California,  need  protection.  They  are  worth  the 
effort,  because  of  their  continuous  blooming  quality.  If  heavily  mulched  like  herbaceous 
plants  they  can  be  grown  around  New  York. 

ANNA  OLLIVIER  (T.\  Rosy  flesh  and  buff,  vigorous  grower.  Prune 
sparingly,  that  is,  thin  out,  reducing  the  remaining  canes  slightly. 

MADAME  CHEDDANNE  GUINIOSSEAU  (?".).  Canary  yellow.  Medium- 
sized  flower.  Beautiful  in  bud.  Growth  moderate.  Prune  well. 

MADAME  JEAN  DUPUY  (T.).  Reddish  yellow,  centre  rosy  yellow,  beautiful 
form.  An  abundant  autumn  bloomer.  Strong-growing.  Vigorous. 
The  buds  are  long  and  carried  on  single  stems.  Prune  sparingly. 

MADAME  JULES  GRAVEREAUX  (T.).  Chamois-yellow,  with  rosy  centre. 
Disbud  freely.  A  cross  between  Reve  d'Or  and  Viscountess  Folke- 


3i2  The  American  Flower  Garden 

stone;  semi-climbing  in  habit.  Vigorous  grower;  bud  very  long  and 
pointed.  Thin  only;  don't  cut  back. 

MADAME  WAGRAM  COMTESSE  DE  TOURENNE  (T*.).  Satiny  rose 
shaded  flesh  pink.  Of  marked  beauty  and  vigorous,  semi-climbing 
habit.  Blooms  very  large.  Very  good  on  a  low  trellis. 

*MAMAN  COCHET  (T.).  Pink.  Most  profuse  blooming,  and  the  hardiest 
of  all  the  teas.  Best  formed  bud  of  any  rose.  Growth  spreading 
and  rather  low.  Free  flowering.  Excellent  for  cutting.  Prune 
sparingly.  There  is  a  white  form  which  is  tinged  with  yellow  and 
pink;  equally  as  good  as  the  pink. 

MARIE  VAN  HOUTTE  (T.).  Canary  yellow;  external  petals  and  borders 
pencilled  with  bright  rose.  Free  and  continuous  bloomer.  Hardier 
than  most  teas.  Growth  vigorous.  Prune  sparingly. 

NABONNAND  (T.).  Also  known  as  GEORGE  NABONNAND.  Tender 
pink,  shaded  yellow.  Blooms  mostly  singly.  First  rate,  especially 
in  autumn.  Prune  lightly. 

REICHSGRAF  VON  KESSELSTADT  (T.).  White,  distinctly  edged  and 
pencilled  with  bright  pink.  Medium  size.  Especially  effective  in 
autumn,  as  the  growth  is  thin  earlier  in  the  season.  Protect  care- 
fully. Growth  moderate.  Prune  well. 

SOUVENIR  DE  CATHERINE  GUILLOT  (T.).  Orange-red,  tinted  carmine. 
One  of  the  most  striking  flowers  in  appearance  and  colour.  Flor- 
iferous,  but  thin,  and  not  absolutely  trustworthy  in  winter. 

SOUVENIR  DE  PIERRE  NOTTING  (T.).  Apricot  yellow,  mingled  with 
golden  yellow.  A  cross  between  Marechal  Niel  and  Maman 
Cochet.  A  fairly  vigorous  grower.  Prune  moderately. 

WHITE  MAMAN  COCHET  (T.).  A  sport  from  Maman  Cochet,  which 
it  resembles  except  in  colour.  (See  above.) 

THE    HYBRID   TEAS 

These  are  the  mainstay  and  delight  of  the  American  rose  amateur.  A  combination  of 
the  Hybrid  Perpetuals  and  the  Teas,  they  present  the  hardiness  and  colours  of  the  one  (to 
a  large  degree),  and  the  beauty  of  flower  and  continuous  blooming  quality  of  the  other. 
New  varieties  are  continually  being  added,  and  any  selection  of  varieties  is  likely  to  be 
largely  superseded  in  a  few  years.  As  a  group  they  will  grow  and  flower  without  any 
special  pruning.  Attention  need  be  given  to  the  necessities  of  the  individual  case  only. 

ADMIRAL  DEWEY  (H.  T.).    Silvery  pink.    A  sport  from  Caroline  Testout. 
AMATEUR  TEYSSIER  (H.  T.).     Creamy  white  in  the  early  season,  light 


The  Rose  Garden  313 

saffron  yellow  in  autumn.  An  abundant  bloomer  and  of  excellent 
form.  A  sport  from  Souvenir  de  Mme.  E.  Verdier.  A  vigorous 
grower,  and  one  of  the  very  best  of  its  class. 

ANTOINE  RIVOIRE  (H.  T.).  Good  grower,  and  very  fine  variety,  espe- 
cially in  the  early  season.  Rosy  flesh.  Cross  between  Doctor  Grill 
and  Lady  Mary  Fitzwilliam.  Prune  by  moderate  thinning  and 
shortening  the  remainder. 

BELLE  SIEBRECHT  (H.  T.).  An  unusual  shade  of  bright,  light  pink; 
strikingly  beautiful.  Long  bud.  Moderate  grower.  Known  in 
England  as  Mrs.  W.  J.  Grant.  Too  delicate  to  be  seen  at  its  best  in 
our  climate,  except  in  the  early  season  and  sometimes  in  autumn. 
Unsurpassed  by  any  rose  of  its  colour.  Prune  fairly  hard.  The  so- 
called  Climbing  Siebrecht  is  not  a  real  climber,  but  is  more  vigorous, 
and  will  give  better  results  generally  than  the  parent. 

^CAROLINE  TESTOUT  (H.  T.).  Pink,  large,  globular.  Profuse  bloomer. 
Slightly  fragrant.  Excellent  for  bedding.  Hardier  than  La  France. 
Free  growing.  Very  thorny.  Prune  sparingly.  One  of  the  best 
known  H.  T.'s. 

CLARA  WATSON  (H.  T.).  Creamy  white,  tinted  rose.  First-rate  as  a  cut 
rose.  Growth  moderate.  Prune  sparingly. 

ELLEN  WILMOT  (H.  T*.).  Flesh  white,  with  centre  of  rosy  white.  Fine 
long  bud.  Vigorous  growth.  Prune  hard. 

*ETOILE  DE  FRANCE  (H.  T".).  Velvety  crimson,  centre  cerise;  blooms 
cupped  in  form  and  very  large.  Continuous  and  free  flowering. 
Fragrant.  The  brightest-coloured  of  all  the  very  dark  roses.  Cross 
between  Mme.  Abel  Chatenay  and  Fisher  Holmes.  Stiff,  vigorous 
growth.  Prune  moderately. 

FRANZ  DEEGEN  (H.  T.).  Pale  yellow,  centre  deep  yellow.  Buds  long 
and  pointed,  on  single  stems.  A  moderate  grower  and  good  rose. 
Prune  sparingly. 

GRACE  DARLING  (H.  T.).  Creamy  white,  shaded  peach.  Especially 
good  early  in  the  season.  Very  distinct  in  colour.  Growth  good. 
Prune  moderately. 

GUSTAVE  SOBRY  (H.  T.).  Beautiful  bright  yellow  flowers.  Very 
floriferous.  A  moderate  grower.  Prune  moderately. 

*GRUSS  AN  TEPLITZ  (H.  T.).  Deep  bright  crimson.  The  best  of  all  the 
dark  red  roses  for  continuous  and  profuse  bloom.  Garden,  bush, 


The  American  Flower  Garden 

or  hedge.  Prune  by  thinning.  This  is  a  Bengal  hybrid,  of  a 
growth  altogether  too  vigorous  to  find  place  in  the  ordinary 
rose  bed.  Planted  in  groups  with  the  individual  bushes  about 
four  feet  apart,  it  produces  a  telling  effect  with  its  continuous 
bloom  of  bright  clusters.  As  a  contrast  the  equally  vigorous 
Frau  Karl  Druschki  (H.  P.)  is  fine,  with  its  unsurpassed  beauty 
of  white  blossoms. 

INNOCENCE  (H.  T.).  White,  medium  full  and  globular.  Very  floriferous. 
A  good  grower,  and  one  of  the  best  white  H.  Ts.  Prune  lightly. 

*KAISERIN  AUGUSTA  VICTORIA  (H.  T.).  Yellowish  white.  Fragrant. 
Excellent  form,  and  most  lovely.  Hardy.  A  splendid  companion 
to  Killarney.  Prune  moderately. 

*KILLARNEY  (H.  T.).  Pure  pink.  The  best  rose  of  its  colour;  but  thin, 
especially  in  mid-season.  Long,  pointed  buds.  Excellent  for  cut- 
ting. Free  flowering.  Growth  vigorous.  Prune  moderately.  There 
is  a  white  form  of  this  rose  which  is  in  every  way  the  counterpart 
of  its  parent  except  in  colour. 

KOENIGIN  CAROLA  (H.  T.).  Silvery  rose,  upright  in  growth,  on  long, 
single  stems;  very  large.  One  of  the  very  best  novelties.  Cross 
between  Caroline  Testout  and  Viscountess  Folkestone.  Growth 
vigorous.  Prune  sparingly. 

LA  DETROITE  (H.  T.).  Light  pink,  back  of  petals  lighter.  Of  the  distinct 
Testout  type.  A  good  constant  bloomer.  A  very  promising 
vigorous  variety  of  American  origin;  a  cross  between  Caroline  Testout 
and  Bridesmaid.  Prune  fairly  hard 

*LA  FRANCE  (H.  T*.).  Silvery  pink,  with  paler  reflex.  Very  fragrant. 
Has  a  tendency  toward  a  bluish  tinge.  Excellent  form.  Large 
flower.  Few  thorns.  Prune  sparingly.  This  is  the  original 
"  Hybrid  Tea,"  and  is  still  holding  its  own. 

LADY  CLANMORRIS  (H.  T*.).  Creamy  white  with  pink  centre.  A  fine 
variety,  but  requiring  good  weather  to  open  properly.  Vigorous 
grower.  Prune  lightly. 

MADAME  ABEL  CHATENAY  (H.  T.).  Salmon-shaded  rose.  One  of  the 
best  roses  for  cutting.  Flowers  full  and  of  good  size.  Prune  slightly. 

MADAME  J.  GROLEZ  (H.  T.).  Bright  rose;  very  distinct  colour.  Excel- 
lent bloomer  both  early  and  late.  One  of  the  best.  Good  grower. 
Prune  lightly. 


The  Rose  Garden  315 

MADAME  J.  P.  SOUPERT  (H.  T.).  White  with  yellow  tints.  Very  large. 
Bud  beautiful  in  form.  Excellent  for  cutting.  Cross  between 
Caroline  Testout  and  Alice  Furon.  Vigorous  growth.  Prune  lightly. 

MADAME  MELANIE  SOUPERT  (H.  T".).  Golden  yellow,  shaded  carmine. 
Very  large;  about  half  full;  petals  broad.  Buds  of  remarkable 
beauty.  Floriferous.  Upright,  vigorous  growth.  Prune  sparingly. 

*MADAME  RAVARY  (H.  T.).  Deep  apricot  yellow.  Large,  globular, 
and  nearly  full.  A  decorative  rose  of  great  merit.  Moderate  growth. 
Prune  moderately  hard. 

MILDRED  GRANT  (H.  T.).  Silvery  white,  edges  bordered  with  pink. 
Probably  the  largest  in  the  class.  A  very  distinct  rose.  Plants 
slow  to  establish,  but  merit  extra  care.  Moderate  grower.  Prune 
very  lightly. 

MONSIEUR  JOSEPH  HILL  (H.  T.).  Pink,  shaded  salmon.  Flowers 
very  large.  A  floriferous  and  beautiful  variety.  Vigorous  growth. 
Prune  but  little. 

MRS.  THEODORE  ROOSEVELT  (H.  T.).  Creamy  white,  centre  rose. 
Bud  long  and  of  excellent  shape.  Flower  fine  in  form.  Growth 
vigorous.  An  American  rose,  first-class  in  every  respect.  Prune  little. 

*PRINCE  DE  BULGARIE  (H .  T.).  Rosy  flesh,  shaded  salmon  and  orange. 
Continuous  bloomer  both  early  and  late.  Good  foliage  One  of 
the  best  all-round  roses  in  the  class.  Prune  lightly. 

VISCOUNTESS  FOLKESTONE  (H.  T.).  Light  rose  with  darker  centre. 
Floriferous.  Useful  as  a  "garden"  rose.  Good  perfume.  An 
old  favourite.  Very  good  if  freely  disbudded.  Growth  moderate. 
Prune  moderately. 

HYBRID    PERPETUALS 

These  embrace  the  great  bulk  of  the  most  showy  and  gorgeous  flowers  of  June,  and 
are  the  hardiest  and  the  largest-flowered  roses.  With  few  exceptions,  however,  they  are 
not  "  perpetual "  bloomers  in  America,  flowering,  as  a  rule,  only  in  the  early  summer. 
The  special  exceptions  are  noted  below  by  the  (f)  sign.  The  group  is  a  nondescript  one, 
embracing  many  sections,  but  conveniently  considered  as  one  culturally.  All  will  stand 
severe  pruning.  For  the  (*)  sign  see  Note  on  page  307. 

ALFRED  COLOMB  (H.  P.).  Bright  red.  Flowers  large,  full  and  semi- 
globular,  with  high  centre.  Blooms  rather  late  in  June.  Fragrant. 
A  first-rate  rose.  Good  grower.  Prune  back  hard. 


3i6  The  American  Flower  Garden 

fANNA  DE  DIESBACH  (H.  P.).  Synonym,  Gloire  de  Paris.  Beautiful 
shade  of  carmine.  Very  large  and  full.  Growth  vigorous  and 
upright.  Fragrant.  Perpetual  flowering.  Prune  hard. 

BARONESS  ROTHSCHILD  (H.  P.).  Pale  pink.  Flowers  and  foliage 
exceptionally  fine.  Globular.  Scentless.  Growth  stocky.  Prune 
fairly  hard. 

*CABBAGE  (R.  centifolia).  The  hundred-leaf  or  common  Provence  rose. 
Strong,  rosy  pink.  Vigorous  growing.  Very  fragrant.  For  bush 
or  shrubbery.  An  old-time  favourite.  Prune  very  hard. 

COUNTESS  OF  OXFORD  (H.  P.).  Bright  carmine.  Bud  very  fine. 
Scentless.  Smooth  wood,  and  very  handsome  foliage.  Flower 
cup-shaped,  and  one  of  the  largest  in  this  class.  Growth  vigorous. 

ECLAIR  (H.  P.).  Of  the  Jacqueminot  type,  but  fiery  red.  Very  distinct 
in  colour.  Globular  in  form.  Fragrant.  Growth  vigorous. 

EUGENE  FURST  (H.  P.).  Jacqueminot  race.  Velvety  crimson,  shaded 
deeper  crimson.  Flowers  late.  Fragrant.  Needs  watching  for 
mildew,  but  is  one  of  the  finest,  if  not  the  very  finest,  of  the  dark 
roses  for  New  York. 

FISHER  HOLMES  (H.  P.).  Deep  crimson-scarlet.  Moderately  full. 
Very  floriferous.  Fine  imbricated  form.  Fragrant.  This  rose 
lasts  longer  under  our  hot  suns  of  June  than  the  majority  of  its 
colour.  Growth  medium.  Prune  moderately. 

*FRAU  KARL  DRUSCHKI  (H.  P.).  Snow  white.  A  cross  between  Mer- 
veille  de  Lyon  and  Caroline  Testout,  so  hardly  an  H.  P.,  though 
so  classed.  Growth  remarkably  vigorous,  and  for  that  reason  un- 
suitable for  ordinary  rose  beds.  The  plants  should  be  at  least 
three  feet  apart.  They  readily  attain  to  a  height  of  over  five  feet 
the  first  year.  Flowers  fairly  full,  very  large,  inclined  to  flat.  Buds 
often  3  to  4  inches  long.  Opens  well,  and  blooms  off  and  on  through- 
out the  season.  The  very  finest  rose  of  its  colour  in  the  class. 
Look  out  for  a  tendency  to  mildew  in  continued  damp  weather. 
Prune  moderately. 

GRACILIS  (Moss).  Pink;  with  characteristic  mossy  sepals  enclosing  the 
bud.  The  best  of  all  the  moss  roses.  Treat  like  any  ordinary  H.  P. 

JEAN  LIABAUD  (H.  P.).  Crimson-maroon,  with  gleams  of  scarlet. 
Full  and  large.  Fragrant.  Moderate  growth.  Prune  fairly 
hard. 


The  Rose  Garden  317 

fLouis  VAN  HOUTTE  (H.  P.).  Once  fairly  established,  the  deep  red 
velvety  blooms,  shaded  deeper  crimson,  are  unique  among  the 
dark  roses.  Small  foliage.  If  the  plants  do  not  get  a  good  start 
it  is  useless  to  waste  time  over  them.  Very  fragrant.  Remarkably 
free  from  mildew  for  a  dark  rose.  One  of  the  best.  Growth 
moderate.  Prune  fairly  hard. 

MARIE  BAUMANN  (H.  P.).  Bright  red,  resembling  very  closely  the  later- 
blooming  Alfred  Colomb.  Very  fragrant.  Reliable  mid-June 
bloomer.  Floriferous.  Flowers  well-shaped,  semi-globular. 
Vigorous  growth.  Prune  hard. 

RiE  FINGER  (H.  P.).  Synonym  Mile.  Eugenie  Verdier.  Bright 
silvery  pink,  deeper  in  centre.  Not  very  fragrant.  Good  autumnal. 
Smooth  wood.  Handsome  foliage.  Growth  moderate.  Prune 
lightly. 

RQUISE  DE  CASTELLANE  (H.  P.).  Carmine-rose ;  not  fading  in  the 
sun.  Flowers  full.  Not  fragrant.  One  of  the  most  effective  pinkish 
roses  and  a  reliable  autumn  bloomer.  Growth  moderate,  stocky. 
Prune  moderately. 

*  fMRS.   JOHN  LAING   (H.  P.).     Silvery  pink.     Continuous  bloomer. 

Long  stem.  Fragrant.  For  groups,  masses  and  cutting.  The 
best  quite  hardy  pink  rose.  Vigorous  grower.  Prune  hard. 

*  fMRS.  R.  G.  SHARMAN-CRAWFORD  (H.  P.).     Deep  rosy  pink;  outer 

petals  shaded  pale  flesh.  Quite  distinct  from  all  other  H.  P.  roses. 
Almost  a  continuous  bloomer,  and  reliable  in  autumn.  One  of  the 
best  roses  grown.  Vigorous.  Prune  hard. 

*PAUL  NEYRON  (H.  P.).  Pink,  with  purplish  tinge.  Not  specially 
pleasing  in  colour,  but  strong  growing  and  the  largest-flowered  of  all 
roses;  almost  equals  a  peony  in  size  and  form.  Effective  in  masses, 
and  useful  in  spite  of  its  coarseness.  Prune  hard. 

fPRiDE  OF  WALTHAM  (H.  P.).  Delicate  flesh,  shaded  bright  rose. 
Flowers  opening  well,  and  of  good  shape.  A  sport  from  Countess 
of  Oxford.  Very  attractive.  Vigorous.  Prune  moderately. 

PRINCE  CAMILLE  DE  ROHAN  (H.  P.).  Synonym,  La  Rosiere.  Deep, 
velvety  crimson.  Fragrant.  A  remarkably  floriferous  cool- weather 
rose,  but  liable  to  burn  in  the  sun.  Grow  this  rose  in  a  bed  where  it 
will  have  some  shade  during  the  hot  afternoons.  Growth  vigorous. 
Prune  moderately  hard. 


318  The  American  Flower  Garden 

fSouvENiR  DE   LA  MALMAISON   (Bourbon).     Clear  flesh,  with   flushed 

centre.     Large  *  and    double.     Most    beautiful    in    bud.     Growth 

rather  low  and  spreading.     Fine  autumn  bloomer.     Prune  lightly 

and  by  thinning. 
SOUVENIR  DE  WILLIAM  WOOD  (H.  P.).     Dark,  blackish  purple  with 

reflections  of  red.     Unsurpassed  in  intensity  of  colour.      Fragrant. 

Must   be   watched   for  mildew  (which   applies  to  nearly  all   dark 

roses).     Growth  vigorous.     Prune  moderately. 
*ULRICH  BRUNNER  (H.  P.).     Cherry  red.     Very  large  flower  on  long 

smooth  stem.     Vigorous  grower.     Perfectly  hardy.     Splendid  form. 

Fragrant.     Prune  moderately.     A  seedling  from  Paul  Neyron,  and 

in  every  way,  except  size,  superior  to  its  parent.     Not  subject  to 

disease.     First  class  in  every  respect. 
VICTOR    HUGO    (H.    P.).     Brilliant    crimson.     Floriferous.     Fragrant. 

Most  attractive.    It  well  repays  extra  care  and  cultivation.    Vigorous. 

Prune  hard. 


VINES 


f '  When  Epicurus  to  the  world  had  taught 
That  pleasure  was  the  chiejest  good 
(And  perhaps  was  i'  the  right,  if  rightly  understood), 
His  life  he  to  his  doctrine  brought, 
And  in  a  garden's  shade  that  sovereign  pleasure  sought." 

— ABRAHAM  COWLEY. 


CHAPTER   XV 

VINES 

TO  DRAPE,  to  mantle,  to  conceal,  to  screen,  to  frame,  to 
cover,  to  shade,  to  protect,  to  beautify,  to  transform  — 
how  may  not  vines  be  used  ?  How  could  beautiful  garden 
pictures  be  made  without  them  ?  Lacking  their  grace  and  mellow- 
ing touch,  many  buildings  would  be  intolerable  eyesores,  but  with 
soft  drapery  over  them  their  crudities  are  mercifully  concealed. 
Shady  pergolas,  leafy  flowery  arches,  and  pendant  garlands  from 
trees  and  over  hedgerows  make  pictures  complete  in  themselves. 
The  returned  traveller  from  England  misses  the  ivy,  probably, 
more  than  any  other  plant.  There,  its  dark  lustrous  leaves  clothe 
walls,  houses,  chimneys,  outbuildings,  tree  trunks,  banks,  even  the 
earth  itself,  with  permanent  green,  toning  the  colour  scale  of  every 
scene  in  town  or  country  into  richer,  deeper  harmony,  clinging,  as  it 
were,  to  the  very  hearts  of  the  people  on  their  historic  ruins,  their 
churches  and  their  literature.  If  the  ubiquitous  ivy  were  to  be  sud- 
denly exterminated,  what  a  raw,  glaring,  red-brick  England  it  would 
be!  Only  when  we  realise  what  the  Mother  Country  might  look  like 
stripped  of  it,  and  how  lavishly  blessed  she  is  with  it,  do  we  pity  our 
own  poverty  with  no  reliably  hardy  indigenous  evergreen  vine  to 
take  its  place.  From  the  artist  gardener's  standpoint  it  is  one  of 
our  greatest  lacks.  True,  the  ivy  will  grow  here,  but  only  under 
certain  conditions,  and  not  as  if  it  were  really  at  home  and  altogether 
happy.  The  bright  sunshine  of  Northern  winters  sometimes  proves 
more  damaging  than  our  hot,  dry  summers,  and  even  on  the  shady 
side  of  buildings,  where  it  is  always  safest  to  plant  it,  it  may  be 

321 


The  American  Flower  Garden 

winter-killed  after  successfully  reaching  a  chimney-top,  won  by 
ten  years'  climbing.  While  it  seldom  succumbs  to  frost  in  the 
Middle  States,  and  never  in  the  South,  the  protracted  heat  there 
curbs  that  half-wild  luxuriance  which  characterises  it  abroad. 

However,  let  us  plant  it  much  more  freely  than  we  do !  Count- 
less opportunities  to  use  it  pass  unheeded,  either  because  we  do  not 
rightly  estimate  its  great  pictorial  value,  or  we  too  readily  accept 
its  limitations.  If  we  cannot  use  it  everywhere,  as  the  English  do, 
at  least  we  can  find  a  place  for  it  somewhere  about  every  home. 
But  the  almost  universal  painted  wooden  house  in  this  country  dis- 
courages the  attempt  to  grow  ivy  on  its  walls.  Brick,  stone  and 
stucco  are  its  proper  supporters;  the  coming  building  is  to  be  made 
of  concrete,  we  understand,  and  wherever  one  of  these  building 
materials  occurs,  there  should  the  ivy  cling.  It  does  not  make  a 
house  damp,  for  there  is  always  a  free  circulation  of  air  under  the 
leaves;  its  aerial  roots  do  not  weaken  walls,  in  spite  of  a  popular 
notion  to  the  contrary.  In  fact,  the  vine  strengthens  them.  Many 
a  ruin  in  England  would  have  tumbled  to  the  ground  years  ago  had 
not  the  branching,  tenacious  ivy  bound  together  the  bricks  or  stones 
from  which  the  mortar  had  crumbled  away. 

Protection  from  the  sun  in  winter,  such  as  widths  of  matting 
or  braided  straw  tacked  over  them  afford,  would  keep  our  ivies 
permanently  green  even  in  sunny  places  or  on  very  cold  northern 
sites  where,  in  any  case,  their  roots  should  be  covered  with  leaves 
or  stable  litter.  A  mulch  to  keep  the  roots  cool  and  moist  in  summer 
when  they  need  to  be  encouraged  to  delve  for  food,  rich  in  humus, 
placed  below  them  by  the  thoughtful  gardener  when  he  planted 
them,  will  carry  the  vines  triumphantly  through  heat  and  drought. 
They  delight  in  moisture,  too.  For  shrubbery  borders,  the  ivy, 
clipped  wherever  it  strays  beyond  a  ten-inch  limit,  makes  a  most 


Vines  323 

effective  edging.  Used  as  a  carpet  under  trees  where  no  grass  would 
grow,  it  thrives  in  dense  shade  like  that  other  charming  evergreen 
trailer,  the  little  purple-flowered  periwinkle  seen  in  every  old  garden. 
Fallen  leaves  and  snow  afford  sufficient  protection  to  the  ivy  where 
it  grows  prostrate  on  the  ground.  Special  emphasis  is  laid  on  our 
only  evergreen  vine,  except  the  creeping  spindle,  because,  for  people 
who  live  in  the  country  the  year  around,  the  ivy's  value  is  greater  by 
far  than  any  other's.  And  it  is  equally  important  for  city  dwellers, 
redeeming  the  sordid  ugliness  of  many  buildings;  yet  London  prob- 
ably contains  more  ivy  than  the  whole  North  American  continent. 
So  nearly  evergreen  that  it  might  be  almost  counted  as  such 
is  Hall's  honeysuckle,  well  worth  growing  if  only  for  its  deliciously 
fragrant  flowers  and,  on  their  account,  it  is  one  of  the  most  popular 
climbers  in  cultivation.  It  needs  wire  netting  or  a  lattice  to  twine 
about,  which  makes  it  a  practical  vine  for  piazza  posts  and  painted 
houses,  as  the  woven  wire  or  other  support  may  have  its  staples 
loosened  at  the  top  and  be  laid  back  on  the  ground  when  the  biennial 
coat  of  paint  goes  on  the  house.  Honeysuckle  is  cheap  enough  to 
plant  at  every  post  in  the  chicken  yard  and  afford  shelter  and  shade 
for  the  fowls  as  well  as  a  screen  for  their  not  always  sightly  runs.  It 
is  one  of  the  few  vines  that  will  thrive  at  the  seashore,  and  it  blooms 
all  summer  there  because  of  the  moisture  in  the  cool  air.  Cold  and 
want  it  can  endure  like  a  good  soldier,  but  it  well  rewards  a  little 
care,  especially  thinning  out  of  its  old  wood  when  the  exuberant 
vine  begins  to  smother  itself  with  foliage.  It  is  one  of  the  best 
carpets  we  have  for  raw  banks,  and  rooting  as  it  runs  along  over  the 
earth,  as  honeysuckle  always  does  when  growing  wild,  it  is  an 
excellent  soil  binder  on  steep  slopes.  Whenever  it  finds  a  support- 
ing stem  to  twine  around,  up  it  goes  into  a  bush  or  tree  and  tosses 
into  the  air  long  sprays  of  slender,  tubular  flowers  set  in  pairs  along 


324  The  American  Flower  Garden 

the  stem  that,  on  opening  at  evening,  are  pure  white  and  especially 
fragrant,  to  attract  the  night-flying  moths;  but  after  fertilisation, 
the  corollas  turn  pale  yellow.  "  Quite  over-canopied  with  luscious 
woodbine"  was  a  reference  to  the  honeysuckle,  not  to  our  five- 
leaved  ampelopsis,  in  Shakespeare's  "  Midsummer  Night's  Dream." 
There  is  a  coral  honeysuckle,  too,  that  caters  to  the  ruby-throated 
humming-bird,  which  "likes  any  colour  at  all  so  long  as  it 's  red." 
This  vine  is  particularly  beautiful  over  rocks. 

Although  not  entirely  evergreen  either,  the  Japanese  akebia 
opens  its  five-fingered  leaves  so  early  in  the  spring  and  retains  them 
so  late  into  the  winter  that  one  can  hardly  grudge  it  a  resting  time. 
Its  early  flowers  are  insignificant  —  small,  curious,  purplish,  spicily 
fragrant  affairs  —  and  it  seldom  fruits  in  this  country;  but  it  is  very 
hardy,  it  is  free  from  the  attacks  of  worms  and  caterpillars,  it  grows 
rapidly  and  its  foliage  is  charming.  One  admirer  of  the  vine,  which 
is  by  no  means  so  much  used  as  its  merits  deserve,  speaks  enthusi- 
astically of  the  delicate  silhouettes  that  its  palmate  leaflets  form 
against  a  moonlit  sky  where  he  sees  them  embowering  his  porch. 
I  know  an  old  red  picket  fence  around  a  farmhouse  that  is  surpris- 
ingly effective  because  of  its  akebia  drapery.  Native  clematis 
flings  white,  fleecy  festoons  over  the  vines'  dark  background  in 
autumn.  It  does  not  resent  a  near  neighbour. 

Exquisite  airy  grace  characterises  most  of  the  lovely  clematis 
clan.  To  frame  landscape  pictures  seen  from  porches  and  cover 
trellis  and  pergolas  with  clouds  of  misty  bloom  in  early  autumn, 
no  vine  can  outdo  the  variety  paniculata.  Flammula  is  choice,  it  is 
deliciously  fragrant,  its  bloom  at  midsummer  is  most  welcome, 
but  its  constitution  is  rarely  robust.  It  usually  seems  like  the  fragile 
sister  of  the  family.  The  brilliant  red-cupped  coccinea  is  never 
more  effective,  perhaps,  than  when  used  with  the  fleecy  flowered 


Vines  325 

kinds.  Until  one's  attention  is  called  to  it,  no  one  would  believe 
how  common  is  the  custom  of  planting  the  large-flowered  purple 
Jackman's  clematis  against  red-brick  buildings.  Yet,  when  it 
spreads  its  royal  bloom  over  them,  nothing  in  the  great  range  of 
garden  possibilities  is  more  excruciatingly  awful.  On  a  gray- 
shingled  house  or  among  the  lacy  foliage  of  a  bowery  pergola,  the 
blossoms  have  a  chance  to  show  how  really  handsome  they  are. 
One  of  the  most  beautiful  effects  with  clematis  is  remembered  by 
any  European  traveller  who  has  had  the  good  fortune  to  be  in 
Normandy  when  sprays  of  the  white,  foamy  flowers  of  the  native 
wild  species  toss  themselves  from  the  sombre  green  of  the  pine  trees 
in  the  coniferous  forests.  Our  Virgin's  bower  rarely,  if  ever,  climbs 
so  high.  But  it  flings  out  the  right  hand  of  good  fellowship  to  every 
bush  and  low  tree  in  the  roadside  thicket  and  hedgerow,  and  the 
feathery  styles  of  its  pistillate  plants  form  hoary  masses,  more 
attractive  than  its  flowers.  Possibly  the  Japanese  paniculata,  which 
grows  so  luxuriantly  here,  could  be  induced  to  festoon  our  pines 
and  hemlocks,  but,  so  far  as  I  know,  the  experiment  has  never 
been  tried. 

No  one  need  be  urged  to  use  Veitch's  ampelopsis,  or  Japanese 
ivy;  already  it  is  one  of  our  most  over-planted  garden  staples.  The 
delicate  traceries  of  its  fresh  young  growth,  clinging  by  little  adhesive 
disks  at  the  tips  of  its  pink  fingers  to  the  sustaining  wall,  and  its 
shining  new  leaves,  that  look  as  if  they  were  covered  with  varnish, 
are  undeniably  pretty.  The  large  overlapping  leaves  of  older 
growth  conceal,  in  time,  any  surface,  rough  or  smooth,  they  may 
grow  against,  but  the  danger  is  lest  they  become  too  dense.  Only 
when  they  occur  on  brick  factories  is  one  grateful  if  they  do.  Heavy 
and  mat-like  foliage  effects  are  rarely  wanted  on  dwellings,  except 
on  large  ones,  and  chiefly  about  the  foundations  and  lower  walls  of 


326  The  American  Flower  Garden 

those.  A  vine-smothered  house  is  most  attractive  to  those  pesti- 
ferous bird  neighbours,  the  quarrelsome,  dirty  English  sparrows, 
which  is  a  sufficiently  good  excuse,  if  an  aesthetic  reason  were 
rejected,  for  keeping  this  vigorous  creeper  clipped  within  bounds. 
There  would  seem  to  be  no  limit  to  its  aspirations:  a  single  plant 
has  covered  a  stone  retaining-wall  over  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
long  and  twenty  feet  high  in  twelve  years.  Because  it  has  lofty 
ambitions,  the  vine  is  admirably  suited  to  climb  tall  and  leggy  trees 
whose  lower  branches  have  died.  Trunk  and  limbs  are  speedily 
overspread  with  its  green  mantle,  gracefully  fringed  where  the 
young  shoots  sway  in  the  breeze  from  the  tips  of  the  branches. 
Planted  on  unsightly  telegraph  and  telephone  and  trolley  poles  that 
disfigure  the  modern  landscape,  it  takes  off  their  curse  for  six  months 
at  least.  The  ampelopsis  is  rampant,  it  is  ubiquitous;  but  when 
autumn  sets  it  aglow  with  superb  colour,  as  brilliant  as  the  maple's, 
few  would  deny  that  it  is  the  best  all-around  vine  we  have.  As  it  loses 
its  leaves  in  winter,  giving  any  possible  dampness  they  may  have 
gathered  a  long  chance  to  dry,  there  can  be  no  reasonable  objection 
to  using  it  anywhere.  As  a  matter  of  fact  the  wood  and  paint  that 
have  had  the  protection  of  its  leaves  all  summer  are  found  to  be  in  a 
fresher  condition  than  the  exposed  parts,  a  popular  belief  to  the 
contrary  notwithstanding.  Would  that  all  our  prejudices  might 
be  so  easily  disproved! 

Instead  of  chopping  down  a  dead  tree  on  your  grounds,  try 
draping  it  with  the  native  five-leaved  ampelopsis  or  Virginia 
creeper,  which  delights  to  scramble  over  rocks,  banks  and  bushes 
and  up  into  trees,  living  or  dead,  wherever  it  grows  wild  in  Nature's 
garden.  Of  looser,  lighter,  more  graceful  habit  than  its  Japanese 
cousin,  and  better  adapted  to  free  effects,  the  naturalistic  treatment 
best  suits  this  vine  that  is  much  used  on  houses,  nevertheless.  It 


1 

m 


Vines  327 

does  not  suffocate,  it  is  airy,  and  its  pendant  sprays  that  hang  from 
a  veranda  give  a  softening  touch  to  hard  architectural  lines.  It 
makes  the  poor  man's  cottage  or  cabin  picturesque,  and  it  costs 
nothing  beyond  the  labour  of  digging  it.  On  the  rich  man's  per- 
gola its  graceful  sprays,  swaying  in  the  breeze  from  the  beams 
overhead,  are  as  effective  as  those  of  its  relative,  the  wild  grape, 
which  is  one  of  the  very  best  vines  we  have  for  Italian  arbours. 

A  climbing  tree  in  itself  is  the  wistaria,  one  of  the  greatest  of 
the  many  treasures  that  have  come  to  us  from  the  Far  East.  Some 
superb  old  specimens  in  Japan  have  trunks  two  feet  or  more  in 
diameter.  To  complete  a  picture  of  mellow  age  there  is  nothing 
comparable  to  a  fine  old  vine.  Its  decorative  effect  means  far  more 
than  mere  ornament.  As  about  seven  years  must  elapse  before  a 
newly  planted  young  wistaria  will  bloom,  it  is  a  great  advantage 
to  start  with  vigorous  roots  without  a  tangle  which  will  produce 
wonderful  growth  if  put  in  rich  soil  and  given  an  abundance  of 
water.  A  friend  who  transplanted  a  gigantic  vine  from  an  old 
house  to  his  new  one  was  convinced  that  what  the  wistaria  chiefly 
suffers  from  is  a  lack  of  moisture,  so  he  invented  a  novel  method  of 
supplying  it.  A  bottle  sunk  in  the  earth  and  fed  from  a  hose  over- 
flowed into  the  soil  about  the  roots  only  as  fast  as  the  water  seeped 
away  or  was  absorbed  by  the  vine,  and  no  faster.  The  wistaria 
never  knew  it  had  been  moved,  although  it  was  not  brought  up  on 
the  bottle  until  it  had  reached  its  second  childhood. 

Commonly  trained  around  piazza  and  pergola  pillars  (which  it 
sometimes  weakens),  over  arches  and  fences  and  along  walls  — 
and  it  could  not  be  less  than  charming  anywhere — this  best  of 
flowering  vines  never  appears  to  greater  advantage  than  when 
grown  to  trail  its  way  at  will  among  trees,  for  it  has  a  half-wild 
luxuriance  that  seems  to  call  aloud  for  naturalistic  picturesque 


328  The  American  Flower  Garden 

treatment.  Of  all  the  hosts  on  which  it  pensions  itself,  perhaps  none 
is  better  suited  to  it  than  the  locust  tree.  Before  foliage  appears  on 
the  locusts  they  are  hung  with  long  festoons  of  the  wistaria's  light 
lavender-blue  racemes  looped  from  branch  to  branch  and  from  tree 
to  tree  in  sweet  profusion.  A  long  line  of  such  trees,  such  as  one  fre- 
quently sees  along  the  boundaries  of  old  Quaker  homesteads  on  Long 
Island,  where  the  locust  abounds,  is  an  enchanting  sight.  Later,  as 
the  wistaria  begins  to  fade,  the  locust  leaves  appear,  and  by  June  the 
trees  are  again  in  bloom,  but  this  time  with  white  racemes  of  their 
own  deliciously  fragrant,  papilionaceous  flowers.  As  the  wistaria 
and  its  host  have  similar  pinnate  foliage,  it  is  difficult  indeed  to  tell 
where  the  vine's  leaves  off  and  the  tree's  begins.  When  the  white 
wistaria  is  used,  even  the  blossoms  on  tree  and  vine  are  similar. 

In  planting  the  wistaria,  or  any  vine,  for  that  matter,  to  run  up 
into  a  tree,  do  not  set  it  close  to  the  trunk,  but  at  quite  a  distance 
from  it,  and  layer  the  stem,  letting  several  yards  of  it  lie  under 
ground  before  beginning  to  climb.  Lay  it  in  a  trench  filled  with 
plenty  of  good  food  all  its  own.  One  could  never  hope  to  grow  the 
wistaria  among  pines,  as  it  tosses  and  tumbles  with  abandoned 
grace  in  Japan,  lighting  up  the  sombre  trees  until  they  fairly  drip 
lovely  colour  and  fragrant  bloom,  unless  the  vines  were  rooted 
beyond  the  harmful  effects  of  the  resinous  pine  needles. 

Another  hard-wooded  vine  from  Japan  is  Celastrus  orbiculatus, 
a  relative  of  our  less  lusty  bittersweet  and,  like  it,  best  adapted  to 
naturalistic  effects  on  trees  or  hedgerows  where  its  generous  pendant 
clusters  of  coral  capsules  hang  cheerfully  all  winter. 

Among  woody  vines  none,  except  the  wistaria,  is  more  valuable 
than  the  trumpet  creeper.  One  wants  it  if  only  to  attract  humming- 
birds to  sip  nectar  continually  from  its  deep  orange-red  tubes. 
How  they  dart  and  squeak  among  the  flowers!  But  the  seed  that 


Vines  329 

they  play  an  important  part  in  fertilising  should  be  kept  cut  if  the 
vine  is  to  have  a  long  succession  of  bloom.  Red  is  irresistibly 
attractive  to  the  ruby-throat,  and  orange  scarcely  less  so,  perhaps 
for  the  sake  of  the  red  that  is  mixed  with  the  yellow.  Such  flowers 
as  need  the  tropical  sprite  to  transfer  their  pollen  wear  his  favourite 
colours,  but  even  this  delicate  attention  is  not  enough.  He  demands 
that  his  refreshment  be  served  to  him  in  tubes  so  deep  or  inaccessible 
that  only  his  long  tongue,  which  may  be  extended  far  beyond  his 
rapier-like  bill,  may  lick  the  last  drop  of  nectar  away  from  his  rivals 
the  humble-bees,  butterflies  and  moths.  First  the  long-spurred  red 
and  yellow  columbine,  the  painted  cup,  the  coral  honeysuckle,  the 
jewel  weed,  the  Oswego  tea  and  the  native  trumpet  creeper  feed 
him  successively  in  Nature's  garden;  then  the  cardinal  flower  has 
the  honour  of  catering  to  the  exacting  midget  before  he  returns  to 
the  tropics.  Such  flowers  as  gladioli,  cannas,  honeysuckle,  nastur- 
tium and  salvia  keep  him  busy  about  our  gardens  until  after  frost. 
There  are  some  exquisitely  tinted  large-flowered  hybrid  trumpet 
vines  whose  aerial  roots  will  not  loosen  the  shingles  on  buildings 
as  those  of  the  more  vigorous  Tecoma  radicans  sometimes  do. 
They  are  particularly  beautiful  grown  over  rocks.  Like  the  wista- 
ria, this  vine  is  sometimes  used  as  a  lawn  specimen  by  attaching  a 
single  leading  stem  to  a  stout  stake,  cutting  away  all  lower,  sucker- 
ing  shoots  and  pruning  back  the  top  of  the  leader  to  a  height  of 
three  feet  to  insure  strong  lateral  branches.  Before  the  stake  rots 
away,  the  woody  vine  will  have  developed  a  trunk  of  its  own  capable 
of  self-support.  To  make  a  superbly  effective  informal  hedge,  set 
out  a  long  line  of  vines  thus  attached  to  stakes  set  three  feet  apart  in 
light,  rich  soil,  and  keep  the  wilful  lateral  branches  pruned  back  and 
attached  to  galvanised  wire  strung  from  stake  to  stake  until,  in  a  few 
years,  they  become  independently  woody.  As  time  goes  on,  the 


330  The  American  Flower  Garden 

hedge  grows  increasingly  beautiful,  a  dense  wall  of  clean,  handsome 
foliage  and  gorgeous  flowers.  It  is  a  heritage  one  is  proud  to 
bequeath  to  one's  children. 

But  not  every  one  who  wishes  for  the  transforming  results  of 
vines  may  plant  for  permanent  effects;  and,  even  when  these  are 
planned  for  on  new  places,  it  is  desirable  to  use  some  annuals  for 
quick  results.  On  rented  places  a  special  vine  may  be  needed  for 
one  season  only.  Even  in  the  midst  of  permanent  planting  it  is 
pleasant  to  have  variety  from  year  to  year. 

If  a  vine  be  wanted  to  cover  a  porch  or  a  high  board  fence  in 
the  shortest  possible  time,  try  the  Kudzu.  It  is  a  twiner  and  needs 
wire  or  strings.  Given  good  soil  and  plenty  of  water  and  sunshine, 
it  will  grow  fifty  feet  in  a  season.  When  a  dense  screen  is  needed 
on  a  kitchen  porch  that  is  not  always  so  tidy  as  it  should  be,  or  one 
for  a  lattice  around  a  drying  ground,  the  Kudzu  is  invaluable. 

Another  very  rapid  grower  is  the  cup-and-saucer  vine  (Coboea 
scan  Jens),  that  would  climb  to  a  tree-top  before  frost  catches  it  if 
long  enough  strings  might  be  supplied.  Before  its  rather  heavy- 
looking  cups  finally  turn  purplish  plum  colour  they  pass  through 
green  and  lavender  transitional  phases.  The  San  Salvador  coboea 
has  many-lobed,  light-green  leaves,  lying  flat,  that  introduce  a  wel- 
come colour  note  in  the  scale  of  greens.  Seed  should  be  sown  at 
least  three  inches  apart  in  the  hotbed  in  order  that  the  roots  of 
young  vines  may  not  be  needlessly  disturbed  when  they  are  lifted 
on  a  trowel  and  transplanted  to  the  open  ground  after  settled  warm 
weather  comes. 

Jack's  beanstalk  probably  grew  no  faster  than  some  of  the 
gourds.  All  their  astonishing  growth  must  be  accomplished 
between  the  frosts  of  spring  and  autumn,  as  not  a  breath  can  they 
endure.  For  covering  unsightly  outbuildings,  fences  and  palings, 


Vines  331 

they  accomplish  wonders.  Every  old  well  used  to  have  a  gourd 
dipper  hanging  beside  it;  every  housewife  in  the  olden  time  darned 
stockings  over  a  gourd.  Some  of  the  fruit  grows  to  enormous  size. 
Negro  cabins  in  the  Southern  States  often  have  large  hollow  gourds, 
with  a  side  entrance  cut  in  them,  hanging  from  poles  in  the  door- 
yard.  Purple  martins  nest  in  these  vegetable  houses.  The  people 
know  that  where  these  handsome  swallows  once  take  up  their  abode 
the  air  is  rid  of  innumerable  mosquitoes,  gnats  and  other  insect 
pests  caught  on  the  wing  as  the  birds  dart  and  skim  about  in  an 
ecstasy  of  flight. 

Ash  and  garbage  cans  at  the  back  door  may  be  quickly  con- 
cealed under  a  canopy  of  the  wild  cucumber  vine's  pretty  leaves  and 
feathery  greenish  white  flowers.  The  Japanese  hop  skips  and 
jumps  up  strings  too,  and  its  large,  handsome  leaves,  splashed  with 
white,  are  more  decorative  than  some  flowers.  But  if  flowers  are 
wanted,  rich-coloured  gay  ones  in  greatest  profusion,  everyone 
plants  the  tall  nasturtium.  Rich  soil  is  wasted  on  it,  as  it  induces 
the  vine  to  run  to  leaves.  In  cutting  nasturtiums  to  brighten  the 
house  —  and  they  light  up  north  rooms  like  sunshine  —  do  not  be 
afraid  to  cut  a  quarter  of  a  yard  or  more  of  stem.  Branches  grow 
again  steadily  and  bloom  till  after  frost  if  no  seed  be  permitted  to 
form.  A  mass  of  the  gorgeous  flowers  alone  is  colour  overdone  — 
too  much  of  a  very  good  thing  —  but  when  nasturtiums  are  arranged 
just  as  they  grow  with  stems,  disk-like  glaucous  leaves  and  seed 
vessels  attached,  no  spoils  brought  from  the  garden  into  the  house 
are  more  decorative.  They  are  lasting,  too.  Draped  over  stone 
walls  the  flower-decked  vine  shows  to  splendid  advantage. 

Let  no  one  forego  growing  the  perennial  butterfly  pea  because 
it  takes  some  trouble  to  start  it.  Seed  should  be  soaked  overnight 
in  warm  water  to  hasten  germination  before  it  is  planted,  three 


The  American  Flower  Garden 

inches  apart,  in  a  hotbed.  After  a  good  beginning  the  young 
vines  may  be  given  a  permanent  place  in  the  garden,  with  a  wire 
netting  or  pea  brush  to  climb  up.  Or  well-started  vines  can  be 
bought  from  a  nursery.  They  may  attain  a  height  of  ten  feet  in 
rich,  moist  soil,  and  if  mulched  and  well  watered  during  hot  weather 
they  will  be  covered  with  exquisite  flowers  like  so  many  little  butter- 
flies fluttering  over  them.  Although  hardy,  the  roots  need  some 
protection  in  winter.  Planted  in  groups  at  the  back  of  perennials 
in  the  hardy  border,  the  peas  look  more  sightly  scrambling  over 
brush,  which  they  presently  conceal,  than  over  wire. 

On  the  shady  side  of  a  house,  in  cool,  rich  soil,  anyone  who 
knows  it  will  wish  to  grow  the  Alleghany  vine,  fumitory,  or  moun- 
tain fringe  (Adlumia),  as  it  is  variously  called,  if  not  for  the  sake 
of  the  arching  sprays  of  its  delicate  little  pink  flowers,  like  miniature 
bleeding  hearts  that  have  bled  themselves  almost  white,  then  for 
its  exquisite  foliage,  as  finely  cut  as  maiden-hair  fern.  It  is  a  bien- 
nial, but  when  once  established  it  sows  itself,  stooling  the  first 
summer  and  the  next  year  climbing  swiftly  up  string  or  trellis, 
which  it  festoons  with  lacy  foliage  of  the  tenderest  green.  But  it 
is  in  the  rock  garden,  perhaps,  that  the  fumitory  appears  at  its  best. 
Planted  in  rich  crevices  in  shaded  places  it  drapes  the  stern  boulders 
with  delightfully  contrasted  delicacy  and  grace.  Of  all  the  vines, 
surely  this  is  the  daintiest. 

SHRUBBY  AND  HERBACEOUS  VINES 

The  best  of  the  annual  vines,  including  Nasturtium,  Sweet  Pea,  Coboea,  Hyacinth 
Bean,  Morning  Glory,  Moon  Flower,  Balloon  Vine,  Cypress  Vine,  raised  from  seed  each 
year,  are  described  in  the  list  of  annualc.  (See  page  246.) 

AKEBIA  (Akelia  quinata).  Best  deciduous  shrubby  vine  where  dense 
shade  is  not  wanted.  Five-partite  leaves,  rich  deep  green,  with 
clusters  of  brownish  purple  flowers  in  May,  June.  Quite  hardy  and 
free  from  insects  and  fungi.  Prefers  well-drained,  peaty  soil. 


Vines  333 

ALLEGHANY  VINE  (Adlumia  cirrbosa).  Very  quick-growing  biennial. 
Flowering  first  season.  Delicately  cut  foliage  like  maidenhair  fern. 
Pinkish  white  flowers  in  profusion  in  summer.  Give  cool  soil. 
Transplant  in  fall.  A  weakling,  requiring  attention  in  training. 

AMPELOPSIS.     See  IVY,  BOSTON,  and  VIRGINIA  CREEPER. 

BITTERSWEET,  FALSE  (Celastrus  scandens).  Best  for  bright  fruit  effects 
in  winter,  succeeding  in  shady  or  sunny  position.  Capsule  bursts, 
exposing  crimson  seeds.  Attains  a  height  of  20  feet.  Propagates 

easily    by   seeds    sown    in    fall.     ,   JAPANESE  (C.  orbiculatus). 

More  vigorous,  but  fruits  are  hidden  by  foliage  till  late. 

CANARY-BIRD  VINE  (Trop&olum  peregrinum).  Best  annual  yellow- 
flowered  vine.  Attaining  20  feet  in  hot,  sunny  location,  and 
on  dry  ground.  For  bloom  from  July  till  frost  sow  indoors  in  March. 

CINNAMON  VINE,  YAM  (Dioscorea  divaricatd).  Loose  clusters  of  cinna- 
mon-scented white  flowers,  borne  profusely.  July,  August;  10  to  30 
feet.  Root  a  huge  tuber,  2  to  3  feet  long.  Tubers  produced  in  the 
leaf  axils,  and  sown  like  seeds,  will  make  root  tubers  in  two  years. 

CLEMATIS,  JAPANESE  (C.  paniculata).  Best  fall-blooming  clematis  for  full 
sun.  Profusion  of  white,  fragrant  flowers  in  September.  Visited  by 

bees.  Prune  severely  in  winter.  ,  JACKMAN'S  (C.  Jackmani). 

Best  purple-flowered  vine.  Blooms  4  to  6  inches  across.  June, 
July.  Also  numerous  varieties,  varying  to  white  and  red-purple. 

The  best  white  form  is  C.  Henryi.  August,  November.  , 

RED  (C.  Viorna^  var.  coccined).  Carmine  or  scarlet  sepals. 
June,  August.  Flowers  globular,  about  i  inch  long.  All  the  clem- 
atises need  heavy  feeding  and  abundant  water  and  severe  pruning. 
See  also  VIRGIN'S  BOWER. 

CREEPING  SPINDLE  (Euonymus  radicans).  Evergreen.  Compact  grow- 
ing, self-supporting  on  walls,  trees,  etc.  Resists  smoke.  Hardier 
than  English  ivy,  but  slower  growing.  Very  variable  in  size  and 
colouring.  Grows  to  great  heights. 

CRIMSON  GLORY  (Vitis  Coignetia).  One  of  the  best  strong-growing 
vines,  much  like  the  fox  grape,  but  becoming  brilliant  scarlet  in 
fall.  Best  raised  from  seeds. 

DUTCHMAN'S  PIPE  (Aristolochia  macrophylla  or  Sipho).  Best  very  large 
leaved  vine  for  dense  shade.  Use  for  screens  or  arbours.  Almost 
round  leaves  about  a  foot  across.  Flowers  V-shaped,  purplish- 


334  The  American  Flower  Garden 

yellow,  not  showy.  Grows  anywhere,  and  attains  great  length. 
Vigorous  grower. 

FIRE  BEAN  (Pbaseolus  multiflorus).  The  scarlet  runner  bean.  Racemes 
of  bright  scarlet  flowers  in  June,  July.  Fruits  edible,  and  usually 
grown  as  a  vegetable  in  Europe.  A  tender  annual  with  us  although 
normally  perennial.  Sow  when  ground  is  warm. 

GOURDS  (Various  species  of  Cucurbita,  etc.).  There  are  a  great  number 
of  these  grown  for  their  brightly  coloured  and  often  fantastically 
formed  fruits.  They  are  all  rather  coarse,  rank-growing  annuals 
that  will  not  endure  frost  at  any  time.  Sow  in  rich  ground  after 
weather  is  warm.  Give  support.  Good  for  quick  screens  and 
unsightly  places. 

GRAPE  (Vitis  vulpind).  The  river  bank  or  frost  grape.  Most  wide- 
spread native  grape.  Bright  green,  thin  leaves.  Good  for  pergolas. 

,  Fox  (V.  Labruscd).  Stronger  growing,  with  hairy  young 

shoots.  Larger,  thicker  leaves,  almost  round,  dull  green;  brown 
underneath. 

HONEYSUCKLE  (Lonicera  Periclymenum,  var.  Belgica).  Most  fragrant 
flowering  deciduous  vine  for  arbours  and  trellises.  Flowers  reddish 
all  summer.  The  type  blooms  from  June  to  September;  yellowish 
white  and  less  vigorous.  Var.  serotina  blooms  in  the  fall. 

,  HALL'S  (L.  Japonica,  var.  Halliand).  Half  evergreen. 

Flowers  white,  changing  to  yellow.  The  type  blooms  June,  August; 
15  feet.  Naturalised  in  some  places.  -  (var.  aureo-reticulata). 

Smaller  leaves,  netted  yellow;  sometimes  used  for  ground  cover, 
becoming  a  weed.  Good  for  walls  and  fences. 

HOP,  PERENNIAL  (Humulus  Lupulus).  Common  hop,  growing  15  to 
20  feet.  Effective  when  in  fruit.  Bold,  palmate  foliage,  dark  green. 

Herbaceous    top,    dying    down    annually. ,   JAPANESE    (H. 

Japonicus).     See  ANNUALS,  p.  249. 

HYDRANGEA,  CLIMBING  (Scbizophragma  bydrangeoides).  Flower  white  in 
large,  flat  clusters  when  fully  exposed  to  the  sun.  May,  June;  30  feet. 
Very  showy,  often  confused  with  Hydrangea  petiolaris.  Clings  by 
aerial  rootlets.  Hardy  at  New  York.  Rich,  moderately  moist  soil. 

IVY,  BOSTON  OR  JAPANESE  (Ampelopsis  tricuspidata  or  Veitchii).  Best 
deciduous  clinging  vine  for  buildings.  Sometimes  injured  in  winter 
when  young.  Very  highly  coloured  in  fall.  Rapid  growing.  Leaves 


B| 

§§ 

a  >. 

W    W 

ffi  > 


p 


Vines  335 

normally  entire,  but   occasionally  three-partite.      ,    ENGLISH 

(Hedera  Helix}.  Best  evergreen  foliage  vine,  but  liable  to  winter 
killing  in  exposed  places  north;  flourishes  with  slight  shelter. 
Dense  mass  of  foliage.  Self-sustaining.  Any  soil.  Numerous 
varieties,  varying  in  size  of  leaf  and  colouring;  some  quite  dwarf. 

JASMINE,  SWEET  (Jasminum  nudifloruni).  Earliest  flowering  slender 
vine.  Fragrant,  large  yellow  flowers  before  the  leaves.  March, 

April.    Not  hardy  North.     Native  in  the  Southern  States.      (J. 

officinale).    White,  in  summer.     Requires  protection  at  Philadelphia. 

KUDZU  VINE  (Pueraria  Thunbergiand).  Best  very  rapid  growing 
foliage  vine  with  herbaceous  top.  Will  cover  enormous  stretches 
in  a  season.  Makes  a  dense  screen.  Plant  the  tubers  deeply.  In 
the  South  the  top  becomes  woody. 

MATRIMONY  VINE  (Lycium  Chinense).  12  feet.  Ovate  leaves,  bright 
green,  3  inches  long  with  scarlet  fruits.  Has  been  used  as  a  hedge 

on  a  wire  trellis.  (L.  halimifolturri).  Less  vigorous,  smaller, 

grayish  green;  fruit  orange. 

MONEYWORT  (Lysimachia  nummularid).  Evergreen  ground  cover. 
Good  for  banks  and  rocks.  Sometimes  a  weed  in  lawns.  Light 
green,  nearly  round  foliage,  half  inch  across,  with  profusion  of  cup- 
shaped  yellow  flowers  in  summer. 

MOUNTAIN  SPURGE  (Pachysandra  terminalis).  Evergreen,  with  yellowish 
green,  thick  leaves,  slightly  toothed.  Good  for  undergrowth  in 
shrubberies.  Flowers  white,  in  small  terminal  spikes  in  May. 
Attractive  to  bees. 

MYRTLE.     See  PERIWINKLE  (below.) 

PARTRIDGE  BERRY  (Mitchella  repens).  The  only  hardy  evergreen  that 
carpets  the  ground  and  bears  bright  red  berries  all  winter,  and 
lasting  till  June.  Native  to  the  woods,  but  can  be  bought  from  the 
nurserymen.  Shady  places. 

PEA,  EVERLASTING  (Lathyrus  latifolius  and  grandiflorus).  See  HER- 
BACEOUS PERENNIALS,  p.  226. 

PERIWINKLE,  TRAILING  MYRTLE  (Finca  minor).  Will  hold  steep  ter- 
races. Ideal  ground  cover  in  dense  shade,  and  where  grass  fails 
under  trees.  Purplish  blue  flowers  in  spring.  Evergreen.  Escaped 
from  cultivation,  and  plentiful  near  old-time  settlements.  Several 
varieties. 


336  The  American  Flower  Garden 

SCARLET  RUNNER.     See  FIRE  BEAN. 

SILVER  VINE  (Actinidia  arguta).  Best  arbour  vine.  Free  from  insects 
and  fungi.  Twining,  not  clinging.  Leaves  dark  green,  quite  tough, 
with  reddish  petioles.  Flowers  greenish  white  in  June,  followed  by 
yellow  fruit  with  fig-like  flavor.  Easily  increased  by  seeds,  cuttings, 

or  layers.  (A.  polygama).  Flowering  in  July.  Lighter  green, 

often  silvery,  variegated  above  the  middle.  A  pretty  plant,  but 
attracts  cats. 

SILK  VINE  (Periploca  Grceca).  For  arbours,  trellis,  and  tree  trunks. 
Fragrant  flowers  July,  August,  and  retaining  foliage  to  late  in  fall; 
40  feet.  Dark  green,  shining.  Any  well-drained  soil  in  sun.  Hardy 
even  in  Canada,  on  the  ground,  in  sun,  with  light  protection. 

TRUMPET  CREEPER  (Tecoma  radicans).  Best  orange-red  flowered  vine 
for  arbours  and  rough  places.  Tubular  flowers  4  to  6  inches  long, 
in  clusters.  Will  climb  trees.  Flowers  only  on  parts  exposed  to 
sun.  Beautiful  varieties. 

VIRGIN'S  BOWER  (Clematis  Virginiand).  For  covering  old  stumps, 
hedgerows,  etc.  Fragrant,  white  flowers  in  profusion  in  July. 
Light,  loamy  soil  and  on  limestone,  but  well  drained. 

VIRGINIA  CREEPER  (Ampelopsis  quinquefolia).  Most  graceful  deciduous 
vine  for  covering  buildings,  old  trees  and  arbours.  Perfectly  hardy, 
thriving  in  any  soil.  Large,  five-partite  leaves.  Usually  needs  train- 
ing, but  some  forms  cling.  Var.  Engelmanni  clings  better,  and  is 
much  brighter  scarlet  in  fall.  Not  quite  so  coarse. 

WILD  POTATO,  MAN-OF-THE-EARTH.     See  HERBACEOUS  PLANTS,  p.  224. 

WISTARIA  (Wistaria  Chinensis).  Best  early  flowering  permanent  vine. 
Foot-long  racemes  of  delicately  scented  mauve,  pea-like  flowers  in 
May,  before  the  leaves.  Climbs  and  twines  easily.  Attains  great 
lengths.  For  walls,  trellises,  trees,  houses.  Failure  of  flower  is 
usually  due  to  combination  of  sun  and  frost  in  early  spring.  Second 
small  crop  of  flowers  in  August.  Does  best  when  left  severely  alone. 
Prefers  deep,  rich  soil,  but  will  grow  elsewhere.  Propagates  by 

layers.  Also  a  white  variety.  (W.  multijuga).  Has  racemes 

2  to  3  feet  long,  but  smaller  flowers. ,  AMERICAN  (W.  speciosa). 

Has  shorter  racemes  and  is  less  vigorous;  attaining  to  40  feet. 

WOODBINE  (Lonicera  Periclymenum).     See  HONEYSUCKLE. 


GARDEN  FURNITURE 


"And  all  without  were  walkes  and  alleys  dight 
With  divers  trees  enrqng'd  in  even  rankes; 
And  here  and  there  were  pkasant  arbours  pight 
And  shadie  seats,  and  sundry  flowering  bankes 
To  sit  and  rest  the  walkers'  wearie  shanks." 

—  EDMUND  SPENSER'S  "  Faerie  Queene." 


CHAPTER   XVI 

GARDEN    FURNITURE 

WHEN,  in  the  exuberance  of  our  joy  at  being  released 
from  the  confines  of  the  house  in  the  spring  we 
spend  in  the  open  air  as  much  of  every  day  as  we 
can  until  autumn  storms  and  chilly  winds  drive  us  to  our  firesides 
again,  garden  furniture  assumes  practical  importance  to  the  home 
maker.  Breakfasts  and  teas  under  a  tree  or  leafy  arbour  imply  com- 
fortable seats,  at  least,  for  families  predisposed  to  prolong  each  meal 
with  much  conversation.  A  tendency  on  the  women's  part  to  carry 
all  portable  work  out  of  doors  —  the  hulling  of  strawberries,the  shell- 
ing of  peas,  the  arranging  of  flowers  for  the  house,  letter-writing, 
mending,  and  the  superfluous  but  pretty  needlework  —  these  various 
occupations  necessitate  plenty  of  weather-proof  chairs  that  are  not 
too  conducive  to  laziness,  yet  are  comfortable  enough  not  to  precipi- 
tate flight.  To  have  a  charming  garden  and  never  be  able  to  live  in 
it,  or  even  to  sit  down  in  the  shade  for  a  few  peaceful  moments  to 
enjoy  its  beauty  in  different  lights  and  atmospheres  (the  most 
potent  factors  of  every  garden  picture),  is  to  neglect  a  golden 
opportunity.  A  garden  has  need  to  be  lived  with  on  friendly, 
intimate  terms  if  its  interests  are  to  be  safeguarded  and  if  the  same 
taste  which  characterises  the  interior  of  the  home  is  to  be  exercised 
in  its  surroundings  where,  unhappily,  the  gardener's,  alone  and 
undirected,  is  too  often  expressed.  Where  a  garden  lacks  an 
appreciative  master  or  mistress  of  intelligence  and  taste  it  is  apt 
to  be  no  more  inviting  than  a  house  without  one.  Such  ever 
lacks  personality  and  soul. 

339 


340  The  American  Flower  Garden 

In  this  busy  country  gardening  is  regarded  as  of  interest 
chiefly  to  women  of  leisure,  and  to  them,  for  the  most  part,  it  is  left; 
whereas  in  England  especially,  but  on  the  Continent,  too,  one 
rarely  meets  an  educated  man,  and  almost  never  a  gentlewoman, 
not  intelligently,  usually  actively  interested  in  gardens,  and  as 
ready  to  discuss  them  at  the  dinner-table  as  to  talk  about  the 
latest  play  or  novel.  The  Europeans  live  in  their  gardens,  and 
have  wondrously  beautiful  ones  in  which,  as  a  rule,  they  take 
keen  interest  and  just  pride.  Very  fast  are  we  following  in  their 
footsteps. 

When  the  pioneer  in  Colonial  times  sat  on  the  stump  of  the 
tree  he  had  felled  to  rest  and  enjoy  the  view,  he  had  as  comfort- 
able a  seat  as  many  of  his  wealthy  descendants  still  provide  in  their 

gardens,  if,  indeed,  they  provide  any  at  all.     Most  out-of-door 
J 
furniture  is  hopelessly  uncomfortable,  crude,  or  inartistic  —  quite 

unnecessarily  so,  which  is  not  to  say  that  a  split  log  laid  between 
two  trees  for  a  seat  in  a  wild  garden  is  not  everything  it  ought  to 
be.  But  a  little  more  thought  expended  on  a  seat,  a  fountain,  or 
ot;her  detail,  seemingly  trivial  and  unimportant,  makes  a  surprising 
difference  in  the  effect,  and  does  much  to  lift  a  country  home 
above  the  level  of  the  commonplace.  The  furnishings  need  not 
be  expensive,  but  they  should  be  well  adapted  to  their  uses  and 
they  ought  to  be  beautiful. 

Garden  seats,  like  other  out-of-door  furniture,  may  be  of  either 
one  of  two  kinds  —  made  at  home  or  manufactured  to  be  sold. 
Both  are  possible  to  people  of  small  means.  The  rustic  garden  seat, 
as  commercially  manufactured  out  of  rough  logs,  contorted  branches 
and  twisted  roots,  with  all  their  natural  excrescences  left  on  to 
torture  the  sitter,  may  be  provided  by  a  gentle,  well-meaning  little 
woman  simply  because  it  is  everywhere  offered  for  sale  and  she 


Garden  Furniture  341 

assumes  that  it  must  be  what  is  needed  in  her  garden.  Yet  such 
a  seat,  placed  in  the  hot  sun,  is  about  as  comfortable  as  the  gridiron 
on  which  St.  Lawrence  was  broiled  alive.  However,  simple, 
dignified  rustic  work  may  be  made  by  the  village  carpenter  out  of 
small  cedar  logs,  which  are  the  most  durable,  or  of  arborvitae,  or 
locust,  or  birch,  whose  respective  merits  are  in  the  order  named. 
Good  design  implies  an  absence  of  meaningless  ornament.  It 
means  lines  that  suggest  strength  and  comfort.  Rustic  arbours, 
trellises,  rose  arches,  bird  houses,  and  garden  seats  and  tables  for 
afternoon  tea  or  breakfast  out  of  doors,  rustic  frames  for  woven- 
wire  back-stops  on  the  tennis-court,  all  suggest  informality  and  the 
naturalistic  treatment  of  the  home  grounds.  A  rustic  pergola  next 
a  house  that  is  in  the  severely  classic  style  of  Colonial  architecture 
would  be  an  anachronism.  But  for  a  simple  little  country  cottage 
or  a  house  whose  architecture  is  nondescript,  rustic  garden  furni- 
ture may  be  not  only  the  cheapest  but  the  most  appropriate  and 
artistic  that  can  be  had. 

Any  amateur  who  can  use  a  saw  and  hammer  can  make  a 
rustic  arch  to  grow  climbing  roses  on.  A  row  of  arches  seen  from 
end  to  end  looks  like  a  continuous  bower  of  greenery.  If  a  garden 
scene  be  flat  or  monotonous  there  is  no  better  way  to  diversify  it 
and  give  it  charm  than  by  using  arches  freely  across  the  paths  — 
never  an  isolated  one  on  a  lawn.  Quick-growing  annual  vines  will 
cover  them  while  the  permanent  climbers  are  starting.  Few  vines 
do  well  on  iron  arches  which  bake  in  the  hot  sun.  They  are  top- 
heavy,  unlovely  things  and  are  apt  to  be  loosened  by  the  wind 
in  many  cases.  They  rust.  But  if  they  must  be  used  for  the 
sake  of  their  strength,  try  to  enclose  them  in  a  wooden  lattice.  No 
arch  should  be  less  than  a  yard  across;  a  greater  width  is 
preferable,  especially  if  a  frame  be  needed  through  which  an 


342  The  American  Flower  Garden 

especially  beautiful  garden  picture  may  be  seen.  A  single  broad 
bowery  arch  will  lead  the  eye  toward  a  distant  vista  as  surely  as  a 
pointed  finger. 

An  Elizabethan  half-timbered  house,  whose  projecting  beams 
are  coated  with  tar  and  oil,  has  its  wooden  lattices  that  screen  the 
drying  ground  and  its  arbour  that  is  overhung  with  Wichuraiana 
roses,  clematis  and  wild  grape,  coated  with  the  same  effective  tar 
preservative  which,  however,  cannot  be  used  on  seats  lest  it  rub  off 
on  one's  clothes.  The  seats  for  the  garden  around  this  house  are 
built  of  sturdy  oak  planks  left  to  weather-stain  —  one  plank  laid 
across  four  log  uprights  forms  a  seat;  another  narrower  one,  joined 
by  large  oak  dowels  to  two  of  the  tall  upright  posts,  serves  for  a 
back.  Although  cedar  and  locust  rot  less  readily  than  other  wood 
used  in  gardens,  even  these  are  greatly  benefited  by  having  the 
ends  of  the  posts  that  are  sunk  in  the  earth  dipped  in  tar. 

Spar  varnish  as  well  as  tar  oil  preserves  rustic  and  wooden 
work  that  is  exposed  to  the  weather;  moreover,  it  does  not  conceal 
the  natural  colour  and  grain  of  the  wood  and  it  protects  it  from 
borers. 

Not  long  ago  a  man,  who  was  brought  before  a  judge  for 
some  petty  offence,  was  asked  his  occupation. 

"  Boring  worm  holes  with  hot  wire  in  antique  furniture,  Your 
Honour,"  said  the  prisoner  at  the  bar. 

Worm  holes  in  rustic  furniture  never  increase  its  value,  however, 
even  to  the  unwary;  on  the  contrary,  they  may  utterly  destroy  it. 
The  popular  hickory  chairs  and  settees  for  camps,  piazzas  and 
rustic  summer  houses,  need  varnish  especially,  for  they  usually 
contain  occupants  other  than  human.  If  little  piles  of  sawdust 
form  daily  on  the  floor  under  the  spots  where  the  borers  are 
tunnelling  nursery  holes  for  destructive  descendants  in  the 


•; 


1 


Garden  Furniture  343 

furniture,  a  small  hand  syringe  should  be  filled  at  once  with  a 
strong  carbolic  wash  to  be  injected  into  the  holes  before  the 
varnish  is  applied. 

Old  English  gardens,  and  the  copies  of  them  that  were  made 
in  this  new  land  during  Colonial  times,  usually  contained  a  few 
choice  pieces  of  wooden  furniture  that  were  painted  white  to  cor- 
respond with  the  pillars,  cornices,  railings,  pilasters  and  other  trim 
of  the  dwelling.  Delightfully  designed  and  comfortable  set- 
tees, some  with  lattice  patterns  like  Chinese  fret-work  on  their 
backs,  and  smooth  slats  for  seats  that  shed  the  rain;  straight 
settees  to  place  against  a  hedge  at  the  end  of  a  direct  garden  walk, 
or  on  either  side  of  the  front  door  on  the  porch;  semi-circular 
settees  for  niches  in  garden  walls  or  at  the  turn  of  a  curved  path; 
circular  settees  to  go  around  the  trunk  of  a  tree  that  afforded  shade 
or  a  fine  view  —  all  these  were  counted  desirable  accessories  of  a 
garden  about  a  house  built  in  the  Georgian  or  Colonial  style. 
Happily  such  seats  are  being  manufactured  again  to-day,  the  exact 
copies  of  good  old  models.  When  soiled,  they  may  be  scrubbed 
and  finally  repainted.  They  are  heavy  and  do  not  overturn  in 
storms.  If  they  can  be  given  a  permanent  position  —  and  no 
seat  should  ever  be  placed  permanently  where  there  is  not  either 
a  pleasant  prospect,  shade,  or  some  other  good  reason  for  its  being 
there  —  it  pays  to  lay  a  few  bricks  or  a  shallow  bed  of  concrete 
where  the  seats  rest  on  the  soil,  lest  dampness  injure  them  in  time. 
Such  seats  look  best  with  a  dark  hedge  or  shrubbery  for  a  back- 
ground against  which  the  pattern  of  the  white  lattice  at  their  backs 
stands  out  in  high  relief.  They  are  also  appropriate  and  beautiful 
in  pergolas,  since  they,  too,  had  their  origin  in  Italy.  But  they 
imply  a  certain  formality  of  house  and  garden  treatment,  and  are 
as  much  out  of  place  next  a  very  modern-looking  house  or  where 


344  The  American  Flower  Garden 

half  wild  or  naturalistic  planting  come  close  to  the  doors  as  a  patent 
swing  would  be  in  an  old-fashioned  garden.  Fitness  is  a  factor 
in  giving  pleasure. 

The  Colonial  lattice  of  maira  patterns  is,  perhaps,  seen  at  its 
best  about  Southern  houses,  ^^elaborately  illustrated  chapter 
might  be  devoted  to  the  infinite  variety  of  the  lattice  alone. 
Where  it  is  used  for  porches,  galleries,  fences,  screens,  well  en- 
closures, summer  houses  and  garden  furniture  generally,  it  has  a 
decorative  value  none  may  gainsay. 

Wood  is  the  most  popular  material  for  out-of-door  furniture, 
chiefly  because  it  may  be  adapted  to  various  styles;  it  can  be  made 
up  artistically  and  it  is  cheap,.but  comparatively  few  gardeners  have 
any  idea  of  the  charming  and  varied  uses  to  which  lattices  may  be 
put  aside  from  screening  off  unsightly  places  and  affording  a  foot- 
hold for  vines.  Iron  can  rarely  be  introduced  into  a  garden  unless 
it  be  handsomely  wrought  into  grills  for  gates  or  frames  for  lanterns 
at  an  entrance,  or  used  for  arches  to  support  roses  and  other 
climbers,  as  has  been  said.  The  iron  mushroom  seats  painted  white 
or  green  that  are  often  seen  in  public  parks ;  the  comfortless  settees 
made  of  painted  iron  slats,  usually  rusty  and  destructive  of  clothes; 
the  iron  chairs  with  alleged  decorations  of  iron  grape-vines ;  the  iron 
figure  of  a  little  Negro  boy  holding  out  a  ring  to  tie  a  horse  to;  iron 
urns  that  afford  the  scarlet  geraniums  and  magenta  petunias  a 
rarely  lost  opportunity  to  swear  at  each  other;  the  iron  fountain 
where  a  child  holds  a  rusty  iron  umbrella  over  its  head  to  catch 
the  spray;  the  iron  deer  that  stands  at  bay  amid  harmless  flower 
beds  on  a  suburban  lawn  —  these  and  all  their  awful  kind  are 
rubbish  for  the  junk  heap,  intolerable  eyesores  to  people  of  taste. 
Would  that  they  might  be  banished  forever  from  the  American 
flower  garden! 


FOUNTAIN  OF  BRONZE  AND  MARBLE  DESIGNED  BY  ELIHU  VEDDER 


Garden  Furniture  345 

In  Tuscany,  hard-baked  clay  most  exquisitely  designed  and 
wrought  into  garden  seats,  sun-dial  mounts,  fountains,  vases,  big 
pots  for  bay  trees  and  smaller  jardinieres  for  porches  and  window 
gardens,  well-heads  and  decorative  devices  for  garden  walls,  are 
still  manufactured  from  Renaissance  and  ancient  classical  models. 
Florence,  which  remains  the  centre  of  this  craft  in  terra  cotta  after 
centuries  of  supremacy,  exports  quantities  of  her  charming  wares 
to  America.  Mrs.  Watts,  the  widow  of  the  Royal  Academician, 
conducts  a  village  industry  for  the  manufacture  of  similar  work 
at  Guilford, England;  and  in  this  country, where  we  have  an  infinite 
variety  of  beautiful  clays,  a  few  potteries,  not  so  well  patronised  as 
they  should  be,  are  beginning  to  supply  the  home  market  with 
pieces  of  original  design.  Red  terra  cotta  is  never  conciliatory  with 
flowers,  but  for  evergreens  it  is  especially  effective.  Some  great 
pots  of  biscuit-coloured  clay,  three  feet  in  diameter,  with  a  simple 
Aztec  arrow  design  about  their  top,  hold  shapely  specimens  of 
pyramidal  boxwood  at  a  garden  entrance.  They  were  made  at  a 
woman's  pottery  in  New  Jersey.  After  the  sprinklings  of  a  single 
summer  they  took  on  a  mossy  tone.  Cecil  Rhodes  used  forty 
similar  pots  for  blue  hydrangeas  in  his  famous  garden  at  Cape 
Town,  South  Africa. 

Garden  furniture  in  stone  and  marble  is  an  indulgence  for 
the  wealthy  only.  Somehow  marble  looks  harder  and  colder  in 
our  country  than  in  sunny  Italy  where,  weather-worn  and  harmoni- 
ous though  it  be,  a  dark  background  of  ilex,  cypress,  or  other 
evergreen  is  invariably  given  it;  but  it  could  be  used  here  much 
oftener  and  more  effectively  than  it  is,  especially  in  Southern  and 
California  gardens,  were  imported  pieces  sold  less  absurdly  high 
and  if  a  proper  setting  for  them  might  be  furnished.  A  single 
piece  of  marble  statuary,  like  Elihu  Vedder's  charming  figure  of  a 


346  The  American  Flower  Garden 

youth  upholding  a  bronze  bowl  to  catch  the  splash  from  the  fountain 
in  Mr.  Louis  Tiffany's  garden,  has  a  reason  for  existence,  and  it  suf- 
fices on  a  large  estate  of  remarkable  beauty.  But  to  clutter  a  garden 
with  marble  figures  and  mutilated  fragments  of  antiques  from  a 
New  York  auction  room  in  the  misguided  belief  that  such  are 
essential  to  an  American  garden  designed  in  the  Italian  style  is 
"good  taste  misplaced/' 

Old  English  formal  gardens  contained  much  lead  statuary 
which  was  counted  more  harmonious  with  the  sombre  landscape 
than  white  marble  images.  A  craze  for  the  curious  figures  has 
recently  revived  among  our  cousins  across  the  sea,  but  it  has 
little  to  feed  upon  because  many  were  shipped  to  America  as 
"works  of  art"  during  the  Revolution  and  promptly  melted  into 
bullets  here  —  probably  the  most  effective  use  to  which  they  were 
ever  put.  A  very  few  that  escaped  the  smelting  pot  are  still  extant 
in  old  New  England  and  Southern  gardens. 

Native  stone  of  mellow  colour  makes  admirable  garden  furni- 
ture and  it  ages  well,  which  cannot  be  said  of  marble  in  our  climate. 
Simple  pieces  in  stone  may  be  made  at  a  not  prohibitive  cost  by 
any  good  mason,  working  by  the  day  —  slab  seats  and  tables  for 
pergolas,  sun-dial  pedestals  and  low,  broad  steps,  for  example. 
Wherever  stone  and  marble  seats  are  used  in  shady  places,  portable 
cushions  will  surely  be  laid  on  them  by  the  sensitive  and  the 
rheumatic.  Elaborate  ornaments  for  entrance  gates,  balustrades 
for  terraces,  fountains  and  vases  will  probably  be  secured  by  one's 
architect  and  seldom  be  home  made,  unless  one  can  secure  the  ser- 
vices of  some  exceptionally  skilful  stone-cutter  with  an  artistic  eye 
v/ho  can  be  trusted  to  copy  a  picture  or  scale  drawing.  But  Italian 
masons,  expert  in  decorative  work,  are  already  numerous  in  this 
country,  and  more  will  be  forthcoming.  See  to  it  that  the  replicas 


Garden  Furniture  347 

of  the  urns  and  vases,  if  Greek  and  Roman  models  be  used,  have 
deeper  bowls  than  most  of  them  possess,  and  holes  in  the  bottom  for 
drainage,  otherwise  the  plants  set  out  in  them  on  terraces,  walls 
and  balustrades  will  surely  wither  away.  The  brims  should  be 
smoothly  rounded  if  they  are  not  to  cut  the  vines  growing  over 
the  edge.  Vases  need  not  necessarily  be  used  in  pairs,  even  in  the 
most  formal  of  gardens.  A  replica  of  a  splendid  great  Greek  vase 
may  well  be  given  a  niche  to  itself  in  the  concave  wall  of  a  clipped 
evergreen  hedge  against  which  its  faultless  symmetry  stands 
revealed  in  bold  relief.  To  duplicate  a  dignified  and  satisfying 
ornament  of  this  character  is  but  to  cheapen  its  effect. 

Everyone  who  may  have  a  fountain  in  his  garden  should  not 
deprive  himself  of  the  refreshing  sound  of  its  splashing  waters, 
the  mirror-like  effect  of  its  pool,  the  companionship  of  birds  which 
it  will  bring  close  to  his  doorstep.  Nothing  attracts  so  many 
feathered  neighbours  as  fresh  water  for  them  to  bathe  in  and  to 
drink  —  (they  are  not  squeamish,  they  will  drink  their  baths). 
Goldfish,  which  should  live  in  every  fountain  basin  to  keep  mos- 
quito larvae  exterminated,  may  be  tamed,  as  well  as  the  birds,  to 
eat  out  of  one's  hand.  Robins,  thrushes,  cat-birds,  brown-thrashers 
and  mocking-birds,  especially,  are  inveterate  bathers  and  hard 
drinkers.  No  others  are  finer  songsters. 

One  cannot  think  of  fountains  without  seeing  on  the  inner 
eye  visions  of  the  superbly  beautiful  ones  in  Italy,  the  land  of 
garden  magic.  At  the  Villa  d'Este,  where  the  use  of  fountains, 
cascades,  canals,  rivulets  and  pools  would  seem  to  have  reached  the 
pinnacle  of  possibility,  thanks  to  the  abundant  water  supply  of  the 
river  Anio,  there  is  a  studied  simplicity  in  the  midst  of  grandeur 
which  it  would  be  well  to  follow  in  gardens  large  or  small.  No 
posing  mermaids  combing  their  hair,  no  spouting  dolphins,  no 


The  American  Flower  Garden 

Dianas  surprised  at  the  bath,  detract  from  the  central  point  of 
interest  in  these  fountains  —  just  a  single  jet  of  water  tossed  high 
into  the  air  —  forty  or  fifty  feet  in  the  larger  ones  —  and  falling  in 
clouds  of  misty  spray  among  the  towering  cypresses  and  pink  acacias 
in  the  surrounding  groves.  Everywhere  is  water  in  motion  —  the 
same  water  utilised  over  and  over  again  —  now  sparkling  and  pris- 
matic in  the  sunshine,  now  deep  and  dark  in  pools  that  reflect  the 
exquisite  colours  of  the  surrounding  vegetation  or  the  moss-grown 
balustrades  on  the  lofty  terraces  that  rise  tier  upon  tier  up  the 
steep,  verdant  hillside.  Whoever  owns  even  a  little  brook  and  a 
little  cottage  on  a  hill  and  a  little  money  to  invest  in  joy  will  wish  to 
play  with  some  of  the  ideas  for  garden  making  that  crowd  his 
mind  as  he  strolls  through  the  grounds  designed  by  Cardinal 
Ipolito  d'Este,  the  master  gardener  of  his  day.  For  the  principles 
of  art  are  of  well  nigh  universal  application. 

Happily  for  those  to  whom  stone  work  and  marble  are  pro- 
hibitively costly,  there  are  now  made  in  this  country  some  admirable 
reproductions  of  classical  models  in  artificial  stone  that  withstand 
frost.  The  fountain  of  conventionalised  lions  that  is  the  central 
feature  of  a  small  circular  garden  in  a  carriage  turn-around, 
illustrated  in  the  second  chapter  of  this  book,  is  made  of  a  con- 
crete composition  that  is  as  practical  as  it  is  effective  and  inexpen- 
sive, having  weathered  five  winters  without  showing  a  crack.  A 
village  carpenter  made  the  moulds  for  the  round  basin  into  which 
concrete  was  poured  to  dry  and  harden  in  the  sun.  Garden  fur- 
nishings in  artificial  stone  —  Pompeiian  tablets,  Roman  chairs, 
Greek  vases,  Italian  fountains,  pergola  columns,  balustrades, 
well-heads,  ornaments  for  entrance  gates  and  garden  walls,  sun- 
dial mounts,  big  decorative  pots  for  flowers,  clipped  boxwood, 
bay  and  formal  evergreen  trees,  may  all  be  bought  so  cheaply  that 


Garden  Furniture  349 

no  one  who  can  afford  the  luxury  of  architecture  in  the  classic 
style  for  house  and  garden  need  forego  a  coveted  piece  for  their 
embellishment.  Even  the  stone  lantern,  without  whose  saving 
presence  to  frighten  away  evil  sprits  no  Oriental  man  with  a  hoe 
would  be  content  to  work  in  a  Japanese  garden,  is  now  repro- 
duced in  an  artificial  material  so  durable  as  to  almost  defy 
detection.  From  the  old-fashioned  garden,  however  simple, 
the  sun-dial  need  not  be  missing  when  standards  like  the  best 
ones  designed  in  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  centuries  may 
be  bought  for  ten  dollars  or  less. 

Quite  suddenly  and  violently,  as  is  our  wont,  have  Americans 
taken  to  pergolas:  every  type  of  house  and  garden  in  this  broad 
land  now  boasts  one.  Many  are  meaningless,  leading  from  no 
place  in  particular  to  no  place  in  particular;  opening  up  no  vista 
through  leafy  arches  toward  a  beautiful  view;  sheltering  no  cosy 
breakfast  or  tea  table ;  inviting  no  one  to  rest  awhile  on  comfortable, 
shady  seats;  growing  no  especially  beautiful  vines  (usually  the 
crimson  rambler  to  the  exclusion  of  every  other  one) ;  extending 
no  architectural  lines  that  end  too  abruptly;  tying  no  building  to 
the  surrounding  garden  or  landscape  —  having,  in  short,  no  well- 
thought-out  reason  for  their  existence.  Following  fashion  blindly  is 
a  weakness  not  confined  to  clothes.  But  how  exceedingly  beautiful 
is  the  well-made,  well-placed,  vine-clad  pergola! 

Its  forerunner  in  old-fashioned  gardens,  the  alley  of  pleached 
or  braided  trees  that  afforded  our  ancestors  a  cool  retreat  on  a  hot 
day,  a  fragrant  bowery  to  stroll  through  on  a  summer  evening,  has 
been  almost  wholly  superseded  by  this  recent  innovation.  The 
Italian  word  "  pergola"  itself  means  a  certain  kind  of  grape;  but  it 
soon  came  to  be  applied  to  the  rough-and-ready  arbours  over  which 
the  vine  was  grown  —  stones  of  all  sizes  picked  up  in  the  vineyard 


350  The  American  Flower  Garden 

and  piled  dry  into  pillars  on  which  was  laid,  as  an  open  roof,  a  trellis 
of  projecting  poles.  A  temporary  lattice  between  the  pillars  on 
the  sides  of  the  pergola  was  used,  too,  until  the  vines  that  were 
trained  over  it  reached  the  roof,  when  the  side  poles  were  usually 
removed.  Within  the  leafy  pergola  the  hardy  Italian  peasant  and 
his  family  spent  many  hours  of  every  day,  and  the  out-of-door  living- 
room  was  nothing  if  not  practical  and  picturesque.  The  pergola 
had  long  been  enjoyed  by  the  contadino's  prosperous  neighbours, 
who  adopted  it  purely  for  its  aesthetic  value,  not  for  the  utilitarian 
purpose  of  growing  grapes.  In  the  great  villas  around  the  principal 
Italian  cities  it  was  constructed  almost  exclusively  of  stone,  the  mas- 
sive columns,  plain  or  carved,  were  wreathed  with  flowering  vines: 
passion  flower,  clematis  and  roses  of  every  hue;  the  wooden  cross- 
beams overhead  festooned  with  swaying  garlands  none  of  which, 
however,  wafted  a  fragrance  so  delicious  as  that  of  the  blossoming 
grape.  Along  the  leafy  colonnade  stone  seats  were  placed.  Much 
formal  entertaining  has  been  done  in  such  an  out-of-door  reception 
room;  much  happy  family  life  is  still  passed  in  Italian  pergolas  far 
less  pretentious. 

As  the  pergola  may  vary  from  the  severe  lines  of  the  classic 
marble  columns  to  the  rough  pillars  of  dry-laid  field  stone,  stucco 
and  rubble,  or  the  knotty  posts  made  of  trees  with  their  branches 
lopped  off  for  the  supports  of  its  roof,  it  is  adaptable  to  every  kind 
of  home  conditions  here.  Only  the  Italian  is  an  adept  at  utilising 
the  materials  lying  next  his  hand.  We  have  need  to  apply  his 
methods,  for  the  most  picturesque  effects  are  often  attained  with 
the  simplest  materials.  Carving  or  other  ornamentation  on  the 
columns  enters  into  hopeless  competition  with  the  vines. 

Because  it  is  adaptable  to  so  many  styles  of  houses  and  gardens, 
and  may  be  made  of  whatever  material  best  suits  its  surroundings 


Garden  Furniture  351 

and  the  size  of  the  owner's  purse,  and  chiefly  because  it  is  as  beau- 
tiful as  it  is  useful  and  healthful,  the  pergola  will  not  soon,  if  ever, 
disappear  from  this  land  of  its  adoption.  A  happier  day  is  dawn- 
ing for  Americans  if  they,  like  the  Italians,  may  be  enticed  out  of 
houses  through  leafy  pergolas  to  spend  more  of  every  day  under 
the  open  sky. 


INDEX 


INDEX 


Abies,  see  Fir 

Acacia,  False,  see  Locust 

Rose,  175 
Acer,  see  Maple 
Achillea    The     Pearl      (A.  Ptar- 

mica  fl.  pi.  ),   226,  229. 
Millefolium,  see  Yarrow 
Aconite,        Autumn        (Aconitum 

autumnale),    216 
Winter  (Eranthis  hyemalis),  273 
Aconitum  autumnale,  see   Aconite, 

216 

Napellus,  see  Monkshood,  225 
Acorus,  see  Iris 
Acteea,  see  Baneberry,  89 
Actinidia,  see  Silver  Vine,  336 
Adam's      Needle,      see      Spanish 

Bayonet,  229 
Adder's      Tongue,       see      Dog*i 

Tooth  Violet,  90 
Adlumia    cirrhosa,    see    Alleghany 

Vine,  333 

Adonis  Amurensis,  216 
Davurica,  216 
Spring  (A.  vernalis),   106 
Mgopodium  Podograria,   see   Gout 

Weed,   Bishop's  Weed,  222 
/Esculus,  see  Chestnut,  Horse,  147 
Agapanthus   umbettatus,    see    Lily 
Ageratum  conyzoides,  243,  246 
Ajuga,  see  Bugle,  107,  218 
Akebia  quinata,  324,  332 
Alder,  71,  86,  114,  166,  170 
Alleghany  Vine  (Adlumia  cirrhosa), 

332»  333 

Alley,   Pleached,   54,   55,   338 
A  Ilium  Neapolitanum,  see  Lily 
Almond   (Prunus  Japonica),   144, 

I73>  '75 
Althaea,    see   Rose  of  Sharon,   183 

Rosea,  see  Hollyhock,  60 
Alum  Root,  see   Coral   Bells,  220 
Alyssum,      Goldentuft      (Alyssum 

saxatile),  108,  212 
Silvertuft  (Alyssum  argenteum), 

109 
Sweet     (Alyssum    maritimum), 

no,  243,  245,  246,  263,  300 
Amaranth,  Globe,   see   Bachelors' 

Buttons 
Amaranthus,        Love-lies-bleeding 

(A.    caudatus),    246 
Prince    of    Wales's    Feather 

(A.  hypochondriacus),  246 
Amaryllis  Belladonna,  see  Lily,  277 
Amelanchier,    see    Shadbush    and 

Service  Berry 
Amethyst    (Browallia    demissa    or 

elata),  247 


Amorpha     fruticosa,     see    Indigo, 

Bastard,  180 
Ampelopsis,  see  Ivy,  334 
Andromeda  polifolia,  see  Rosemary 
Anemone,  47,  50,  207 

Japanese  (A.  Japonica),     106, 

196,  207,  212,  216 
Nemorosa,   see   Windflower 
Pasque  Flower  (A.  Pulsatitta), 

1 06 

Pennsylvanica,  see  Windflower 
St.  Brigid    (A.  coronaria,  var. 

St.  Brigid},  106 
Wood    Snowdrop,  (A.    sylves- 

tris),  106 
Angelica  Tree,  see  Hercules  Club, 

'49 

Annuals,  48,  233,  246 

Anthemis  tinctoria,  see  Chamomile, 
46,  218 

Anthericum,  see  Lily,  St.  Bernard's, 
61 

Antirrhinum  ma  jus,  see  Snap- 
dragon, 228 

Apios   tuberosa,  see   Ground  Nut, 

*75 

Apple,  Crab,  see  Crab  Apple,  147 
May,  see  May  Apple,  93 
Tree,  74,  173 
Aquilegia,  see  Columbine 
Arabis    albida,  see   Cress,    White 

Rock 

AraJia,   see   Hercules   Club,  149 
Arborvite      (Thuya     occidentalis), 

'35>  J38>  '39»  l88»  297»  34' 
George  Peabody,  155 
var.   globosa,    155;    var.   pyra- 

midalis,    139;   Siberian,  155; 

var.  Wareana,  155 
Arbours,  55,  338,  341 
Arbutus,  Trailing  (Epigesa  repent), 

84,   95 
Arisama    triphyllum,    see    Indian 

Turnip ,  Jack-in-the-Pulpit,  92 
Aristolochia  macro phylla  or  Sipho, 

see    Dutchman's    Pipe,  333 
Armeria   maritima,   see  Sea  Pink, 

27,  109 

Aronia,  see  Chokeberry,  1 66,  177 
Arrowhead,  86,  114,  120 
Arrow  Wood  (Viburnum  dentatum), 

»5>  '75 

Arum,  Water  (Calla  palustris),  129 
Aruncus  Sylvester,  see  Goat's  Beard, 

222 

Arundinaria,  see  Bamboo,  285,  286 
Arundo  Donax,  see  Reed,  287 
Asarum  Canadense,  see  Snakeroot, 
96 

355 


Asclepias,  see  Milkweed 
Ashberry,  see  Mahonia 
Ash,  European  (S.  Aucuparia),  152 
Mountain  (Sorbu  s  Americana), 

'5' 

Weeping    (Fraxinus    excelsior, 

var.  pendula),  146 
Aster,  240,  242,  243,  245,  266 

China   (Callistephus   hortensis), 

56,  70,  247 
New      England      (A.      Nova- 

Anglice),   83,   88,    106;   var. 

rosea,  106 
New   York   (A.  Novi  Belgii), 

88 

Smooth  Blue  (A.  larvis),  88 
Stokes's,   see   Stokes's  Aster 
White,  106 
Astilbe  Japonica,  see  Spirea,  229, 

also  Goat's  Beard,  False 
Aubrietia     deltoidea,     see     Cress, 

Purple,  109 
Azalea,  73,  82,  83,  84,  86,  103,  169, 

170,  173,  174,  268,  270 
Carolina  (A.   Vaseyi),  175 
Ghent    (A.    Gandavensis),    175 
Japan  (A.  mollis),  175 
Pinxter  Flower,    Wild    Azalea 

(A.  nudifora),   82,  85,    175, 

182 

Rhodora,  (A.  Canadensis),  183 
Showy  (A.  amcena),  155 
White   Clammy    (A.    viscosa), 

7*,  175 
Wild,  114 


Baby's  Breath  (Gypsophila  elegant), 

247 

G.  paniculata,  106,  216 
Baccharis  halimifolia,  see  Ground" 

sel  Bush,  179 
Bachelors'    Buttons     (Ranunculus 

Asiaticus),  273 
Buttercup  (R.  acris),  81 
Cornflower  (Centaurea  cyanus), 
57,  58,  82,  243,  244,  245,  248, 

273 

Fair  Maides  of  France,  57,  58 
Fair  Maides  of  Kent,  58 
Globe    Amaranth   (Gomphrena 

globosa),  57,  59,  249 
Ragged  Sailor,  58 
White,  58 

Balloon  Flower  (Platycodon  grandi- 
forum),  217.  See  also  Bell- 
flower 

Vine  (Cardiospermum  Halicaca" 
bum),  247,  332 


356 


The  American  Flower  Garden 


Balm,  Bee  (Monarda  didyma),  86, 

89,  198,  207,  217 
Moldavian          (Dracocephalum 

Moldavicum),  217,  254 
Balsam  (Impatiens  Balsamina),  57, 

240,  247 
Balsam  Fir,  157 
Balustrades,  38,  346 
Bamboo,  119,  212,  270,  27* 
Bambusa  Metake,  272,  285 
Black     (Phyllostachys     nigra), 

285 
Broad-leaved          (Arundinaria 

Japonica),  285 

Fortune's  (A.Fortunei)w^%(> 
Golden  stemmed  (Phyllostachys 

aurea),  285 
Pigmy  (Bambusa  pygmeea),  272, 

286 
Riviere's  (Phyllostachys  vividi- 

glaucescens),  285 
Simon's  (Arundinaria  Simoni), 

286 

Bambusa,  see  Bamboo 
Baneberry,  White  (Acttea  alba),  89 

Red  (A.  rubra),  89 
Baptisia  tinctoria,  see  Indigo,  Wild 
Barberry,  27,  84,  168,  173* 

Common  (Berberis  vulgaris),i&8 

var.  atropurpureus,  175 
Japanese  (B.  Thunbergii),  175, 

188 
Bartonia  (Mentzelia  Lindleyi),  245, 

247 
Bay,     Bull,     (Magnolia     grandi- 

fora),  155 
Sweet  (Laurus  nobilis),  27,  38, 

86,  101,  133,  156 
Bayberry,  Wax   Myrtle     (Myrica 

cerifera),  89,  187 
Beard  Tongue,  see  Pentstemon 
Bearseares,  or  French  Cowslips,  47 
Beech,    American    (Fagus    ferru- 

ginea),  141,  142,  146 
European  (F.sylvatica),  146, 188 
Fern-leaved      (var.      hetero- 

phylla),  146 
Riveras  Copper  (var.  purpurea 

Riversi),  72,  144,  164 
Weeping  (var.  pendula),  146 
Begonia,  122,  241 

Hardy  (B.  Evans tana) 217,  271, 

*73 

Tuberous    (B.    tuberosa),    270, 
Belemcanda    Chinensis,   see    Lily, 

Blackberry 
Bellflower  (Campanula  Carpatica), 

106,  217,  218,  227 
Bluebell  or  Harebell (C.rotundi- 

folia),  57,  59,  85,  91,  105, 106 
Canterbury  Bells  (C.  Medium), 

48,  57,  207,  208,  209,  213,  241 
Hairy  (C.Trachelium),  217 
Large-styled  (C.  macrostyla),  247 
Peach-leaved  (C.  persicafolia), 

217 
Wide-leaved  (C.  latifolia),  218 


Belli s  perennis,  see  Daisy,  English 
Benzoin  odoriferum,  see  Spice  bush 
Berberis,  see  Barberry  and  Mahonia 
Bessera  elegans,  see  Mexican  Coral 

Drops,  278 
Betula,  see  Birch 
Birch,  White  (Betula  alba),  71, 115, 

141,   145,   146,  341 
Cut-leaved  (var.    pendula   laci- 

niata),   146 

Bird  Cherry,  see  Cherry,  143 
Bitter  Buttons,  see  Tansy 
Bittersweet,  False   (Celastrus  scan- 
dens),  86,  328 

Japanese    (C.  orbiculatus),  333 
Black-eyed  Susan  (Rudbeckia  hirta), 

84,89,207,212 
Bladder  Nut  (Staphylea   trifolia), 

176 

S.  colchica,  176 

Bladderwort       (Utricularia      pur- 
purea), 127 
U.  vulgar  is,   127 
Blanketflower     (Gaillardia),     198, 

207,  245 
G.  aristata,  218 

rar.  splendidissima  plena,  218 
G.  pulchella,  221,  247,  254 
Kelway's  King,  218 
G.  Lorenziana,    247 
Blazing  Star  (Liatris  pycnostachya), 

89 

L.  scariosa,  89 
Bleeding   Heart    (Dicentra   specta- 

bilis),  196,  207,  218,  273 
Blood  Root  (Sanguinaria  Canaden- 

sis),  83,  85,  89,  106,  273 
Bluebell,  see  Bellflower,  106 
Blue  Bells  (Mertensia  pulmonarioi- 

des),  1 06 

Bluets  (Houstonia  ceerulea),  89 
Bocconia  cordata,  see  Poppy 
Bog  Garden,  115 

Rush  (Juncus  eftusus),  127 
Boltonia,    Starry    (Boltonia     aster- 
aides),  26,  89,  207,  212,  218, 
219 

Mauve  (B.  latisquama),  89 
Boneset  (Eupatorium  perfoliatum)t 

46,  87,  89,  114,  120 
Boston  Ivy,  see  Ivy 
Bougainvillea,    1 1 
Bouncing  Bet,  81 
Borwood     (Buxus     sempervirens), 
38,  49,  52,  56,  133,  156,  167, 
188,  209,  244,  263,  297,  299 
Dwarf   (var.    suflruticosa),    156 
Elder,  see  Elder,  148 
Oriental     (B.     Japonica     Tar. 

micro  phylla),    156 
Privet,  see  Privet 
Brachycome  iberidifolia,  see  Daisy, 

Swan  River. 
Brasenia  peltata,  see  Water  Shield, 

130 

Bridal  Wreath,  see  Spirea 
Brier  Rose,  see  Rose 


Brooklime     (Veronica  Americana), 

127 

Broom,  27 
Browallia    demissa    or    elata,    see 

Amethyst 

Brunella,   see  Self-heal 
Buckthorn  (Rhamnus  cathartica), 

176,  188 

Alder  (R.  Frangula),  176 
Sea   (HippophaS   rhamnoides), 

176 

Buddleia,  Lindleyana,   176 
Bugle  (Ajuga  reptans),  107,  218 
Geneva  (A.  Genevensis),  218 
Bulbous  and  Tuberous  Plants,  257, 

*73 

Bulrushes,  see  Cat-tail 

Buttercup,  8 1 

Butterfly  Flower  (Schizanthus  pin- 
not  us),  247 

Asclepias   tuberosa,    Milkweed, 
Butterfly, 83, 84, 89,  212, 273 

Butterwort,  116 

Button  Ball,  85,  114 

Buxus,  see  Boxwood 


Cabomba  Caroliniana,  128 
Cactus,  28,  103.    See  also  Prickly 

Pear 

Caladium,  see  Elephant's  Ear 
Calendula,    242,    244,   245.     See 

also  Marigold 
Calla  palustris,  see  Arum 

C.  albo-maculata,  128 

Spotted     (Richardia),    128 
Callicarpa,  see  Mulberry,     182 
Calliopsis,  242,243,245 
Callistephus  hortensis,  see  Aster 
Calopogon    pulchellus,    see    Grass 

Pink,  91 
Caltha     palustris,    see     Marigold, 

Marsh 
Calycanthus,  see  Strawberry  Shrub, 

Camass,  260 

Camassia,  see  Quamash,  281 
Camellia,  169 
Campanula,  see  Bellflower 
Canary    Bird    Vine    (Tropaeolum 

peregrinum),  333 

Candytuft     (Iberis    sempervirens), 
57,  103,  107,  113,  198,  211, 

212,    2l8,    245 

Colored  (I.  umbellata),  57 
Rocket  (7.  amara),  57,  248 
Canna  Indica  hybrids,  70,  257,  270, 

271,  273,  329 

Cannabis  sativa,  see  Hemp,  249 
Canterbury  Bells,  see  Beilflower 
Cape  Hyacinth,  see  Hyacinth,  276 
Caragana     arborescens,     see     Pea, 

Siberian,  184 
Cardinal  Flower  (Lobelia  cardina- 

lis),  85,  86,  87,90,  105,  115, 

120,  127,  215,  218,  244,  329 
Cardiospermum    Halicacabum,   see 

Balloon  Vine,  247,  332 


Index 


357 


Carnation,  213,  241.  See  al«o  Pink, 
Border  (Dianthus  Caryophyllus), 

57 
Carolina  Allspice  (Calycanthusflori- 

dus)   see     Strawberry    Shrub 
Carrot,  Wild,  Queen  Anne's  L-ce, 

81 
Caryoptcris  Mastacanthus,  see  Blue 

Spirea,   176 

Cassia  Marylandica,  tee  Senna 
Castor  Bean  (Ricinus  communis), 

240,  248 
Catalpa     (Catalpa     bignonioides), 

147 

C.  speciosa,  147 
Catananche    cxrulea,    tee    Cupid's 

Dart,  221,  254 

Catchfly  (Silent  Armtria\  248 
5.  pendula,  248 

German  (Lychnis  Viscaria)t  57> 
218.    See  also  London  Pride 
Cat  Mint,  214 
Cat-tail  Bulrush  (Typha  latifolia), 

114,  127 
Caulophyllum      thalictroides,      see 

Cohosh,  Blue,  89 
Ceanothus    Americanus,    see    New 

Jersey  Tea,  182 
Cedar,  38,  101,  139,  156 

Mount  Atlas  (Cedrut  A t Ian t tea), 

IS* 

Tar.  glauca,  156 
of   Lebanon   (C.   Libani),   156 
Pyramidal,       White       (Thuya 

occidentalis,  var.  pyramidalit), 

•ee  Arborrite 
Red    (Juniper  us     Virginiana)t 

'39.  *56 
White  (T.      occidentalis)t      see 

Arborvite 
Cedrus,  see  Cedar 
Celastrus,  see  Bittersweet,  86,  328 
Celandine,  see  Poppy,  90 
Ctloiia    cristata,    see    Cockscomb, 

250 
Centaurea    Cyanus,  see  Bachelors' 

Buttons 
Margarita   and   Moschata,   see 

Sweet  Sultan,  253 
Cerastium  tomentosum,  see  Chick- 
weed 
Ctrasus    hortensis,    set*  Flowering 

Cherry,  147 
Ctratopteris  thalictroiMs,  see  Fern, 

Horn,   128 
Ceratostigma    plumbaginoides,    see 

Leadwort,  Blue 

Cercis  Canadensis,  see  Red  Bud 
Chamaccyparis     Lawsoniana,     see 

Cypress,  Lawson's,  157 
pisifera,  see  Cypress,  Japanese 
obtusa,  see  Cypress,  Japanese 
Chamomile     (Anthemis    tinctoria), 

46,  218 
Double    Scentless     (Matricaria 

indora,  var.  plentssima),  218 
False,  see  Boltonia 


Chaste  Tree,  Monk's  Pepper  Tree 
(Vitex  Agnus-castus  and 
incisa),  177 

Checker  Lily,  see  Fritillary,  59 
Cheiranthus  Cheiri  see  Wallflower 
Cherry,    Bird     (Prunus     Pennsyl- 

vanica),   143 

Cornelian  (Cornus  Mas),  177 

Flowering     (Cerasus     hortensis 

and  Prunus  avium),  147,  173 

Winter  (Physalis  Alkekengi),2^o 

Improved  (P.Francheti),  230 

Chestnut,  Horse  (JEsculus  Hippo- 

castanum),  141,  147 
Dwarf  (JE.  macro stachya),   171, 

179 

Chickweed,  Mouse-eared  Snow-in- 

Summer  (Cerastium  tomento- 

sum\   109,  225,  254 

Chinese  Sacred  "lily,"  see  Narcissus 

Chionodoxa,    see    Glory  -  of  -  the  - 

Snow 
Chionanthus  Virginicat  see    Fringe 

Tree,  178 
Chokeberry     (Aronia   arbutifolia), 

166,  177 

Black  (A.  nigra\  177 
Chrysanthemum,    207,    208,    212, 

213,  219,  234,  245 
Annual  (C.  coronarium  ^57,248 
carinatum,  248 

coccineum,    see  Pyrethrum,  64 
Hardy   Perennial   (C.  Indicum 

and  morifolium),  219 
Japanese,  219 

Leucanthemum,    see     Daisy 
Parthenium,   see   FcTerfew,   58 
praaltum,  see  Daisy 
Types  of  named   varieties,  219 
Wild,  see  Daisy,  Ox-eye,  45,  93 
Cigar-plant,  243 

Cimicifuga    racemosa,    see    Snake- 
root,  Black,  89 
Cinnamon  Vine,  Yam   (Dioscorea 

divaricata)y  333 
Cinquefoil     (Potentitta     fruticosa), 

86,90 

Citrus  trifoliata,  see  Orange,   189 
Cladrastis  tinctoria,  Virgilia  lutea, 

see  Yellow  Wood,  155 
Clarkia  elegans,  248 
Claytonia    Fir  gin  tea,    see    Spring 

Beauty 

Clematis,  75,  324,  342,  350 
Aromatic,  220 
Blue    Bush    (C.    integrifolia), 

and  var.  Durandi,  220 
David's   (C.   heraclafolia.  Tar. 

Davidiana\   220 
Flammula,  324 
Jackman's   (C.  Jackmanf),  10, 

325>  333 
Japanese  (C.  paniculata),  324, 

325»  333 

Purple,  10,  325,   333 
Red  (C.  Viornoy  var.  cocctnta), 

3*4n  333 


Clematis,  Continued 

Virgin's  Bower  (C.  Virginiana) , 

86,   325>   336 
White  (C.  Henryi),  333 
White  Bush  (C.  recta),  220 
Clethra  (Clethra  alnifolia),  71,  83, 

86,  115,  170,  177,  186 
Clintonia  (Clintonia  borealis),  90 
Clove  tree,  50 
Clover,  Bush  (Lespedexa  Sieboldi), 

176 
Water     (Marsilea  quadrifolia) , 

I 20,  129 
Cobcea    (Cobaa   scandens),   248 

San  Salvador,  330 
Cockscomb   (Celosia  cristata),  250 
Cohosh,  Black,  see  Snakeroot 
Blue    (Caulophyllum        thalic- 
troides),  89 
Coix    Lachryma-Jobi,    see     Job's 

Tears,   250 

CoJchicum,    see    Crocus,    Autumn 
Coldframe,  242 
Coleus,  17,  69,  70,  243,  246 
Columbine,  74,  85,  196,  198,  206, 

207,  212,  213 
Feathered  (Thalictrum  aquilegi- 

folium),   107 
Garden     (Aquilegia    vulgaris), 

220 

Rocky  Mountain  (A.  carulec), 

220 
Wild  (A.  Canadensis),  90,  107, 

220,  329 

Yellow  (A.  chrysantha),  220 
Column  Flower  (Lepachys   colutn- 

naris),  220,  254 
Colutea    arborescens,     see     Senna, 

Bladder,  176 
Comptonia  asplenifolia,  see   Fern, 

Sweet,  95 

Coniferous  Evergreens,  188 
Conoclinium  ccelestinum,  see  Mist 

Flower,  108 
Convallaria    majalis,    see    Lily-of- 

the- valley 

Convolvulus,  Wild,  115 
Coptis  trifolia,  see  Gold  Thread,  91 
Coral  Bells  (Heuchera  sanguinea)t 

220 

Berry    (Symphoricarpos       vul- 
garis), 177 
Drops,       Mexican        (Bessera 

elegans),  298 
Lily,  see  Lily 
Coreopsis,  see  Tickseed 
Corn,    Japanese   Variegated    (Zea 
Mays,  var.   Japomcus),   248 
Poppy,  see  Poppy 
Cornflower,  see  Bachelors'  Burtons 
Cornel,  see  Dogwood 
Cornus,  see  Dogwood 
Cortaderea     argentea,     see     Grass, 

Pampas,  286 
Cosmos  (C.  bipinnatus),  26,  240, 

248 
Yellow  (C.  sulphureus),  248 


358 


The  American  Flower  Garden 


Cotoneaster,  Box-leaved  (Coton- 
easter  buxifolia,  C.  micro- 
phylla),  156,  173 

Cotton  (Gossypium  herbaceum),  249 
Cowslip  (Primula    officinalis),  108 
French,  47 
Virginia   (Mertensia  Firginica), 

«5»  95»  23° 
Crab  Apple,  143,  144 
Bechtel's,    147 
Flowering    (Pyrus   foribunda), 

Pyrus    loensis,    147 
Cranberry,  Highbush,    (Viburnum 

Opulus),  85,  173,  177 
Cranesbill,     Meadow     (Geranium 

pratense),   107 
Red  (G.  sanguineum),  107 
Spotted  (G.  maculatum),  90, 107 
Crattegus    Oxyacantha,    see    Haw- 
thorn, English,  149 
Cress  Purple  (Aubrietia  deltoidea), 

109 
Water    (Nasturtium    officinale) 

129 
White  Rock  (Arabis  albida),S$, 

109,  211,  212 
Crimson  Glory   (Vitis  Coignetia), 

333 

Rambler,  see  Rose 
Crocus,  72,  196,  212,  258,  259,  260 
Autumn  (Colchicum  autumnale), 

107,  273,  274 
Named   varieties,   274 
Crown  Imperial  (Fritillaria  Impt- 

rialis),  50,  58,  267,  275 
Cryptomeria    (C.    Japonicat    Tar. 

Lobbi),  156 
Cucumber  Tree,  see  Magnolia,  147, 

'5° 

Vine,  331 

Cucurbita,  see  Gourd 
Cup-and-saucer  Vine,  see   Cobaa, 

33° 
Cupid's  Dart  (Catananche  carulea), 

221,  254 
Currant,  Flowering  (Ribes  aureum), 

165,  177 

Cydonia  Japonica,  see  Quince 
Cypcrus  alternifolius,  see  Umbrella 

Plant,    127 
Papyrus,  see  Papyrus 
Cypress,  35,  38,  345,  347 

Bald    (Taxodium     distichum), 

148 
Italian       (Cupressus      semper- 

virens),  139 

Japanese,  named  varieties,  160 
Mock,  251 
Retinispora,        see       Cypress, 

Japanese 
Vine,  249,  332 
Cypripedium,  see  Lady's  Slipper 

Daffodil,  see  Narcissus 
Dahlia,  27 1 

Named  varieties  174,  275 


Daisy,  56,  71,  81 

English  (Bellis  pertnnis),  58 
Ox-eye    (Chrysanthemum    Leu- 

canthemum),  45,  93 
Shasta    (C .  Leucanthemum   hy- 
brid), 212,213,228 
Swan  River,  253 

Dame's  Rocket,  see  Rocket 

Daphne  (D.  Mezereum),  177 
D.   Gwenka,   178 
See  also  Garland  Flower 

Datura,  Stramonium,    see    James- 
town Weed 

Day  Lily,  see  Lily 

Day  Primrose,  see  Sun  Drops 

Deciduous  Shrubs  of  Special  Merit, 

J75 
Trees  for  Lawns  and  Gardens, 

146 

Delphinium,  see  Larkspur 
Deutzia,  74,  168,  170,  173 
D.  gracilis,  178 
£).  Lemoinei,  178 
Dianthus,  see  Pink 

D.  barbatus,  see  Sweet  William 

D.  Caryophyllus,  see  Carnation 

DicentraCucuttaria,  see  Dutchman's 

Breeches,  90,  275 
D.     spectabilis,    see    Bleeding 

Heart 

Dicksonia,  see  Fern,  84 
Dictamnus  albus,  see  Gas  Plant 
Dielytra   spectabilis,   see    Bleeding 

Heart    (Dicentra    spectabilis) 
Diervilla  forida,  see  Weigela 
Digitalis,  see  Foxglove 
Digitalis,  var.,  see  Pentstemon  Itevi- 

gatus 
Dioscorea  divaricata,  see  Cinnamon 

Vine 

Dockmackie,  see  Viburnum 
Dodder,  116 
Dodccatheon  Meadia,  see  Shooting 

Star 
Dog's     Tooth     Violet,      Adder's 

Tongue  (Erythronium  Ameri- 

canum\  83,  90,  269,  275 
Dogwood,  84,  85,  142,   143,   167, 

>7»»  173 
Bush     (Cornus     candidissima), 

177 

Cornel,  166,  167,  170,  178 
Cornus     Mas,      see     Cherry 

Cornelian,  177 
Dwarf  Cornel  (C.  Canadensis), 

90 
Flowering  (C.  forida),  White  71, 

83,  148 
Pink    (C.   forida   var.  rubra)f 

148 
Red-twigged    (C.    stolonijera), 

178 

Red-osier  (C.  son  guinea),  178 
Round-leaved     (C.     circinata), 

178 

Silky    (C.  amomum),  115,  177 
WUd,  170 


Dolichos  Lablab,  see  Hyacinth  Bean 
Douglas  Spruce,  see  Spruce 
Dracocephalum    Moldavicum,     tee 

Balm 

Dusty  Miller,  69,  243 
Dutchman's     Breeches     (Dicentra 

Cucullaria),  90,  275 
Pipe  (Aristolochia  macrophytla 

or  Sipho),  333 


Earth  Line,  166 

Edelweiss  (Leontopodium  alpinum), 

107 

Eglantine,  see  Rose 
Eichhomia  speciosa,  see  Hyacinth, 

Water 
Elaagnus,  see  Goumi,    178,     179 

angustifolia,  see  Oleaster 
Elder,  71,  86,  1 66,  170 

Box,  Variegated  (Acer  Negundo 

var.  argenteo-variegatum),  148 

Common  (Sambucus  nigra),  178 

Golden  («S.  nigra,  var.  aurea), 

178 
Elephant's  Ear  (Caladium  esculen- 

*wm),  270,271,275 
Elm,  17,  48,  142 

American    or    White    (Ulmut 

Americana),  148 
Camperdown     (Ulmus     scabra, 

var.  pendula),  148 
Empress  Tree    (Paulownia  impe- 

rialis),  148 

Epigaa  repens,  see  Arbutus 
Epilobium  angustifolium,  see  Wil- 
low herb 

Eranthis  hyemalis,  see  Aconite 
Eremurus  robustus,  see  Lily 
Eriathus  Ravenna,  see  Grass,  120 
Eryngium   amethystinum,  see    Sea 

Holly 
Erythronium      Americanum,      see 

Dog's  Tooth  Violet 
Eschscholzia       Californica,        see 

Poppy 

Eulalia,  Japanese  Rush  (Miscan- 
thus  Sinensis)  and  varieties,  286 
Euonymus,  173 

Americanus,     see       Strawberry 

Bush,  186 
Japonica,    see     Spindle    Tree, 

190 
radicans,  see  Creeping  Spindle, 

333 
Eupatortum,  120 

ageratoides,     see      Snake-root, 

White,  96 

perfoliatum,  see  Boneset 
purpureum,  see  Joe-Pye  Weed 
Evening   Primrose,    see    Primrose 
Evergreen  Thorn,  162 
Evergreens,  17,  38,  74,  101,  119, 
134,  135,  136,  137,  140,  165, 
174, 188,  210,  296,  297, 345 
Dwarf,  104,  133,  215 
List  of,  155 


Index 


359 


Ererlasting   (Helichrysum   bractta- 

tum),  249 

Helipterum  roseum,  249 
H.    (or    Rodanthe}    Mangiest, 

249 
Immortelle    (Xeranthemum  cn- 

nuuni),  60,  213,249 
Pea,  see  Pea 
Exochorda    grandiflora,    tee  Pearl 

Bush 


Fagus,  see  Beech 

Fair  Maides  of  France,  tee  Bache- 
lors' Buttons 
Maides  of  Kent,  see  Bachelor^' 

Buttons 
False  Acacia,  see  Locust 

Mitrewort  (Tiarella  cor  di folia), 

91 
Feather,  Prince    of    Wales'  s,   see 

Amaranthus,  246 
Fennel,  45 

Fern,  71,  84,  103,  105,  207,  108 
Dicksonia,  84 
Horn  (Ceratopteris  thalictr aides) 

128 

Polypodies,  84 
Royal,  Osmunda,  87,  115,   Il8 

269 

Shield,  84 
Sweet       (Comptonia      adianti- 

folia),  95 
Fescue,     Blue     (Festuca    glauta), 

286 

Festuca  glauca,  286 
Fetter  Bush     (Pier is  foribunda), 

1S7 
Feverfew   (Chrysanthemum      Par- 

thenium),  58 
Yellow-leaved  (C.  Parthenium, 

Tar.  aureum),  59 
Fir  (Abies),  101,  138 
A.  lasiocarpa,  ijj 
Balsam  (A.  balsamea),  157 
Nordmann's      (A.     Nordman- 

niana),  140,  157 
Red,  see  Spruce 
Veitch's,  140 

White  (A.  concolor),  140,  1 57 
Fire  Bean  (Phaseolus  multifont), 

334 

Flag,  see  Iris 

Flameflower,  see  Poker  Plant 
Flax,  254 

Linum    grandiflorum,    111 

L.  usitatissimum,  221 

Lewisi,  221 
Fleur-de-lis,  see  Iris 
Floating    Heart     (Limnanthtmutn 

lacuna  sum),  128 
Flower-de-luce,  see  Iris 
Forget-me-not,  71,  86,   120,   128, 
254,  266 

Early  (Myosotis  dissitifora),  221 

M.  alpestris,  59 

M.  palustrii,    91,     107,    2ii 


Forsythia,  Golden  Bells,  170,  172, 

173,   178,    179,   182 
suspensa,    178,    182 
viridissima,   179 
Four    o'clock,    Marvel    of     Peru 

(Mirabilis   Jalapa),   59 
Foxglove,    48,    73,   120,  205>  207, 

209,212,  215,  241 
Common  (Digitalis   pur  pur  to), 

59,  107,  221 
Gloxinia-flowered    (D.  gloxini- 

oides),  221 

Yellow,   (D.  ambigua),  59, 
Fraiinclla,  see  Gas  Plant 
Fraxinus,  see  Ash 
Freesias,  242 
Fringe     Tree    (Chionanthus    Fir- 

ginica),    178 
Fritillary    ( Fritillaria ),    59,    267, 

277 

Guinea-hen  Flower,  Checker 
Lily  (F.  Meleagris),  59,  267, 
277 

Imperials  see  Crown  Imperial 
Snake's  Head,  59 
Fumitory,  332 
Funkia,  see  Lily,  Plantain 


Gaillardia,  see  Blanketflower 
Galanthus  nivalis,  see  Snowdrop 
Galtonia  candicans,  see  Hyacinth 
Garden: 

Agnes  Surriage's,  49 

Annuals,  233 

Approach,  21 

Architecture,  8,  25,  26 

Associations,  78 

Babylonian  Hanging,  33 

Bartram's  John,  52 

Bog,  115 

Boundaries,  28,  40,  133,  165 

Cactus,  28 

Celia  Thaxter's,   10 

Central  Park,  New  York,  4 

Charles   Kingsley's,   203 

Climatic  conditions,  17 

Colonial,  41 

Colonial  South,  52,  53 

Colour,  9,  21, 133, 214, 135 

Cost,  76 

Design,  15,  56,  70,  see  Plant 

Division,     31,     according     to 

season,  213,  214 
Egyptian,  33 
English,  15,  27,  168 
Favourites  in  old-time,  48 
First  Botanic  in  America,  51 
Form,  8,  211 

Formal,  31,  33,  53,  75,  139 
For  small  place,  41 
Furniture,  34,  38,  56,  339 
George  Washington's,  53 
Greek,  33 
Harmony,  9,  212 
Household  Medicines,  45,  46 
Independent  of  flowers,  40 


Garden,  Continued 

Individuality    emphasized,  2C, 

21,  28 

Italian,  24,  28,  36,  168 
Italy,  9,  134 

Japanese,  25,  99,  144,  349 
Kew,  London,  102 
Limitations,  17 
Longfellow's,  48 
Mediaeval,  35 
Native  plants  for  •wild,  &£ 
Naturalistic,  28,  69 
New  England,  41 
Nursery,  22 

Old-fashioned,  41,  45,  349 
Outdoor  living  rooms,  39 
Partnership  between  Nature  and 

Art,  3 

Permanent,  15,  38 
Perennials,  195 
Personality  in,  19 
Phoenician,  33 
Plans,  6,  20,  40,  69,  139,  2IO  et 

seq.  236 
Planting  around  the  home,  73, 

167 

Planting  lists,  106,  198,  210 
Pompeii,  34 
Pope's,  31 
Principles,  7 
Proportion,  8,  21 1 
Protection,  101 
Purchase,  18,21,  22 
Puritan,  49 
Relation  of  Architect  and  Land* 

scape  Gardener,  18,  24 
Renaissance,  40.    See  also  Villa 
Rock,  99,  102,  322 
Roman,  4,  34 

Seats,  34,  38,  334,  339,  346 
Shrubs,    165 
Site,  15,  26 
Soil,  23,  103 
Steps,  38,  104,  346 
Statuary,  34,  70,  345,  ft    Mf. 
Straight  lines,  32 
Sundials,  38,  40,  56,  345,  346 
Sunken,  50 
Terrace,  40,  53,  346 
Thought-out,  195 
Topiary,  35,  54 
Transformation     of     unsightly 

objects,  21,  321 
Trees,  133 
Tropical,  n,  24 
Tuberous  plants,  257 
Van  Cortlandt  Manor,  51 
Vases,  34,  345,  et  seq. 
Villa  Colonna,  at  Rome,  36,  56 
Villa  d'Este,  at  Tivoli,  36,  347 
Villa  Lante,  at  Bagnaia.  36 
Villa  Medici,  Rome,  35,  42 
Vistas,  9,  20,  40,  215 
Water,  28,  113 
Wild,  23,  28,81 

Windbreak,  50, 101,  133  et   stf. 
Wordsworth's,  203 


36° 


The  American  Flower  Garden 


"Gardener's  Garter,"  see  Grass 
Garland  Flower  (Daphne  Cneorum), 

85»  '57 

D.  Blagayana,  158 
Gas  Plant,  Fraxinella  (Dictamnus 


Gauhheria  procumbent,  see  Winter- 

green,  96 
Gentian,    Closed    (Gentiana    An* 

drewsi)  ,  91 

Fringed  (G.  crinita),  86,  91,  244 
Narrow-leaved  (G.  /mean's),  91 
Geranium,     10,    17,    70,    72,    76, 
241,243,246,344.     See  also 
Cranesbill,  Wild 
Gillyflower,  47,  50 
Ginger,  Wild,  see  Snakeroot 
Gink  go  biloba,  151,  see  Maidenhair 

Tree 

Gladiolus  (G.   Gandavensis),  257, 
267,  271,  329;   hybrids,  275 
Glaucium  luteum,  see  Poppy 
Gleditschia  triacanthos,  see  Locust 
Globe    Amaranth,  see    Bachelors' 

Buttons 
Flower  (Trollius  Europeus,  Tar. 

Lodigesii),  221 
T.  Asiaticus,  221 
Glory   of  the   Snow   (Chionodoxa 

Lucilice),  105,  258,  260,  275 
Goat's  Beard,  False  (Astilbe  Japoni- 

ca),  107 

A.  decandra,  222 
True  (Aruncus  Sylvester),  222 
Godetia    (CEnothera   amcena),  245, 

249 

(E.  Whitneyi,  249 
Golden  Bells,  see  Forsythia 
Feather,  see  Feverfew 
Glow  (Rudbeckia  lac  in  iota.  Tar. 
Golden  Glow),  207,  209,  212, 

222 

Goldenrod  (Solidago\  87,  115 
Canadian  (S.  Canadensis),  83, 

91 

Elm-leaved,  120 
Field  (S.  nemoralis),  91 
Woodland  (S,  casia\  91 
Goldentuft,  see  Alyssum 
Goldfish,  123 

Gold  Thread  (Coptis  tr  if  olio),  91 
Gomphrena  globosa,  see  Bachelors, 

Buttons 
Goodyera  pubescent,  see  Rattlesnake 

Plantain,  94 

Gossypium  herbaceum,  see  Cotton 
Goumi   (Eleagnus   longipes),   178, 

179 

Gourd  (Cucurbita),  330,  331,334 
Gout  Weed,  Bishop's  Weed  fago- 
podium    podograria    Tar.  p«- 
riegata)    222 
Grape  (F»Ws),  51,  306 

Rvrer-bank  (r.  Le&ruscA\  3- 
Wfld   Fox     r 


3*7-  334»  342 
Grape,  Hyacinth,  tee  Hyacinth 


Grass,  Ornamental,  119,  211,  258 
Canary  (Phalaris  arundinacea), 

272,  286,  287 
Eulalia  (Miscanthus  Sinensis), 

120,  211,  270,  272 

Striped    (var.  variegatus)  in- 
cluded in  Eulalia 

Barred    (var.    Zebrinui)    in- 
cluded in  Eulalia 
Fescue,  Blue  (Festuc*  glauca), 

286 

Gardener's  Garters,  272,  286 
List   of    Ornamental   Grasses, 

285 
Pampas   (Cortaderea  argentee), 

286 
Penrjisetum  (Pennisetum  vill»- 

sum),  286 
Ravenna  (Erianthus  Ravenn*), 

286 
Ribbon  (Phalaris    arundinacea 

Tar.  variegata),  272,  286,  287 
Spike  (Uniola  latifolia),  287 
Grass  Pink  (Calopogon  pulchellus)t 

91 

Ground  Nut  (Apios  tuberosa),  275 
Groundsel  Bush  (Baccharis  halimi- 

folia),  179 

Guinea  Hen  Flower,  see  Fritillary 
Gum,  Sweet  (Liquidambar  styraci- 

fua\  145,  154 
Sour,  Tupelo  (Nyssa  syhatic*), 

J54 
Gypsophila,  see  Baby's  Breatk 


Habenaria    ciliaris,     see     Orckit, 

Yellow-fringed,  96 
HaJesia  tetraptera,  see  Silver  Bell 

Tree,  184 

Hamamelis,  see  Witch  Hazel 
Harebell,  see  Bellflower 
Hare's  Tail  (Lagurus  evatus),  249 
Hawkweed,  75 
Hawthorn,  143 

English  (Crateegus  9Xy*canth&\ 

149 

Heartsease,  see  Pansy 
Heath,  83,  116,  169,  174 
Hedera  Helix,  see  Ivy 
Hedge,  54,  135,  168 

List  of  trees  and  shrubs  for,  187 
Roses,  293, 
Trumpet  Flower,  329 
Hedysarum  coronarium,  see  Honey- 
suckle 
Helenium   autumnale,  see   Sneeze- 

weed 

Helianthus,  see  Sunflower 
Helichrysum  bracteatitm,  see  ETCT- 

lasting 
Heliotrope,Garden(r«/*r/a««  »#C»- 

nalis),  see  Valerian 
Heliptcrum,  see  Everlasting 
Hetteborus    niger,    see    Chrittraat 

Rose 
Hemerocallis,  see  Lily,  Day 


Hemlock  (Tsuga  Canadensis),  101, 
115,  135,  138,  140,  143,  158, 
168, 188,297 
Hemp    (Cannabis    sativa,  var.   gi- 

gantea),  249 
Heuchera.     san  guinea,     see    Coral 

Bells 

Hepatica  (H.  triloba),^,  92,  258 

Hercules  Club  (Aralia  spinosa),  143 

Chinese  Angelica   (A.   Chinen- 

sis),  149 

Hesperis  matronalis,  see  Rocket 
Hibiscus  Moscheutos,  see    Mallow, 

Rose 

Sunset  (H .  Manihot),  222 
Syriacus,  see  Rose  of  Sharon 
Hickory  (Hicoria  alba),  149 
Hicoria  alba,  see  Hickory 
Hippophae  rhamnoides,  see  Buck- 
thorn 
Holly,  American  (Ilex  opaca)f  85, 

158,188 

English  (I.Aquifolium),  158 
I.  Cassine,  189 
Sea,  see  Sea  Holly,  228 
Holly-leaved         Mahonia,         see 

Mahonia 
Hollyhock,  47,  48,  75»  86,  87,  195, 

198,  200,  205,  207,  209,  212, 
213,  222,  234,  306 

Honesty,  annual  (Lunaria  annua), 

222 
Perennial  (L.  rediviva),  47,  198, 

222,  254 

Honeysuckle  (Lonicera)  Vines: 
Belgian  (L.  Periclymenum,  var. 
Belgica),  334 

var.  serotina,  334 
Coral,  324,  329 
French     (Hedysarum     cortna- 

rium),  221,  254 
Hall's  (L.  Japonica,  Tar.  Hall- 

'*«")>  329»  334' 
Variegated    (var.     aureo-  retic- 

ulata),  334 
Honeysuckle,  Bush: 

Fragrant  (L.fragrantissima),!^^ 
Japanese  (L.  Morrowi),  179  — 
Manchurian  (L.  Ruprechtiana), 

179 

Tartarian  (L.  Tartarica),ij<) 
Hop,  Japanese  (Humulus  Japeni- 
cus) ,  249, 331, 334;  var.  varie- 
gatus,  249 

Perennial  (H .  Lupulus),  334 
Hornbeam  tree,  55 
Horse  Chestnut,  see  Chestnut 
Hotbed,  237  et  seq. 
Houstonia   carulea,  see  Bluets,  89 
Humulus,  see  Hop 
Hyacinth,    Bedding    (Hyacinthus 
orientalis),  60,  70,  105,  242, 
261,  264,  268,  275;  Named 
Tarieties,   276 

Cape  (Galtonia  candicans),  276 
Grape  (Muscari  botryoides),  60, 
259,  260, 276 


Index 


361 


Hyacinth,   Continued 

Water     (Eichhornia    spectosa), 

113,  113,  130 
Wood    (Scilla    Hispanica    and 

nutans),  260,  276 
Hyacinth  Bean  (Dolichos  Lablab), 

*5°>  332 
Hydrangea,      Climbing      ( Schixo- 

phragma   hydrangeoides,  alto 

H.  petiolaris),  334 
Hardy,     large-flowered,    white 

(H.    grandiflora,    var.    pant- 

culata),    171,    173,    179,    189 
Hortensia  (H.  hortensis),  180 
Hortensia  group,  180 
Japonica  group,  180 
Stellata  group,  180 
Wild  (H.  arborescent),  180 
Hypericum    Moserianum,    see    St. 

John's  Wort 


Iberis,  see  Candytuft 

Ice      Plant      (Mesembryanthtmum 

crystallinum),  250 
Hei,  35,  40,  345,  see  Holly 

Japanese      (7.     crenata),     158, 

1 68 

Immortelle,  see  Everlasting 
Impatient  balsamina,  see  Baliam 
Incarvillea  Delavayi,  223 
Indian  Lotus,  see  Lotus 
Pipe,  116 

Plume  (Monarda  didyma),  86 
Turnip,  see  Jack-in-the-Pulpit 
Indigo,   Bastard    (Amorpha   fruti- 

cosa),  180 

Wild  (Baptisia  tinctoria),  96 
Inkberry  (Ilex  glabra),  158 
Innocence,  see  Bluets 
Ipomaea,  see  Moonflower 

purpurea,  see  Morning  Glory 
quamoclit,  see  Cypress  Vine 
ITM,  Fleur-de-lis,    Flower-de-luce, 
86,  105,  120,  196,  198,  206, 
211,212,234,257,267,276 
Bearded,  dwarf  (7.  pumila),  223 
Blue    Flag    (7.  versicolor,    also 
7.  prismatica   and   7.    Virgi- 
nica),  92 

Crested  Dwarf  (7.  cristata),  223 
Dwarf  (7.  bifora  and  7.  Chant" 

airis),  233 

English  (I.Anglica),  60,  213  129 
Florentine,  223 
German,   60.    Named  varieties 

of,  223 

Japanese  (7.  lavigata  or  Kamp- 
feri),  71,  85,  113,  120,  128, 

200,  208,  223 

Siberian  (7.  Sibirica),  224 
Sweet  Flag  (Acorus  Calamus), 

A.  gramineus  and  var.  var  it- 

gatus,  129 

Yellow  (7.  Pseudacorus),  128 
Ircnweed      (Fernonia     Novebora- 

censis),  92 


«aly,  39  54,  55,  75,  134,  345,  347, 

349>  35° 
Ivy,  321,  322,  323 

Boston  or  Japanese  (Ampelop- 
sis   tricuspidata  or  Veitchit)y 

3*5»  326»  334 

English  (Hedera  Helix),  335 
Virginia    Creeper     (Ampelopsis 
quinquefolia),  326,  336 

var.  Engelmanniy  336 
Ilia,  276 


Jacinthes  (Hyacinths),  47 
Jack-in-the-Pulpit,  Indian  Turnip 

(Ariseema    triphylluni),     92, 

269,  276 

Jacob's  Ladder  (Polemonium  rep- 
tans'),  108 
Jamestown    Weed,    Thorn  Apple 

(Datura  stramonium),  92 
Jasmine,    Sweet  (Jasminum  nudi- 

forum),  173,  335 
J.  officinale,  335 
JenofFelins,  50 
Jewel  Weed,  120,  329 
Job's  Tears  (Coix  Lachryma-Jobt), 

250 
Joe-Pye   Weed   (Eupatorium   pur* 

pureum),  87,  92,  115 
Johnny-jump-up,  see  Pansy 
Jonquil,  see  Narcissus 
Judas  Tree,  see  Red  Bud 
Juglans  nigra,  see  Walnut,  Black, 

"54 

Juncus  efiusus,  see  Bog  Rush,  127 
Juniper,  Cedar,  38,  101,  135,  138, 

140,  158 
Common      (Juniperus       com* 

munis),  158 
JabJna,  see  Savin,  161 
J.  Firginiana,  see  Cedar 


Kalmia,  see  Laurel 

Kerria  (Kerria  Japonica\  180 
White  (Rhodotypos    kerrioides), 
180 

Kniphofia  Pfitzeri,  28 1 ,  see  Poker 
Plant 

Kochia   Scoparia,     see  Mock   Cy- 
press, 251 

Keelreuteria    paniculata,   154,    see 
Varnish  Tree 

Kudzu   Vine    (Pueraria    Thunber- 
giana\  330,  335 

Laburnum  (L.  vulgare),  133,   149, 

167 

Ladies'  Delight,  see  Pansy 
Lady's  Slipper,  Balsam  57 

Moccasin  Flower  (Cyprip€d»ttm 

acaule),  86,  92 
Showy  (C.  spectabile),  92 
Yellow  (C.  pubescent),  92 
C.  pauciflorum,  92 


Lagurus   ovatus,  see  Hare's   Tail, 

249 

Lamium  maculatum,  see  Nettle,  225 
Landscape  Gardener,  18,  24 
Gardening,  3,  8,  6, 17, 18 
Larch,  145 
Larix,  see  Tamarack 
Larkspur   (Delphinium),   48,    I2O, 
198,  201,  208,  209,  213,  254, 
258 

Annual  (D.  ajacis),  250 
~Pe.rennial(D.elatum),  60;  D.for- 
mosum,  60,  224;  D.  grandi- 
forum,  60 
Lathyrus,  see  Pea 
Laurel,    Mountain    (Kalmia    lati- 
folia),  27,  38,  73,  82,  84,  85, 
101,  103,  158,  168,  169,  170, 
174,  189,  268 

Great,  see  Rhododendron  maxi- 
mum 
Narrow     leaved    (K.    angusti- 

folia),  158 

Laurus  nobilis,  see  Bay,  Sweet 
Lavatera  (Lavatera  trimestris),  250 
Lavender,  Sea,  see  Sea    Lavender 
Leadwort,  Blue  Plumbago  (Cera- 
tostigma  plumbaginoides),  106, 
224,  227 
Leontopodium     alpinum,    see 

Edelweiss 
Leopard  Flower,  tee  Lily,  Black* 

berry 
Lepachys  columnaris,  see   Column 

Flower 
Lespedeza     Sieboldit     see     Clover 

Bush,  176 
Leucojum  vernum  and  astivum,  see 

Snowflake.  281 
Leucothoe  Catesbfi,  158 
Liatris,  see  Blazing  Star 
Ligustrum,  see  Privet 
Lilac  (Syringa),  49,  75,  165,  168, 
170,     173.    Named  Tarietiei, 
180,  181 

Chinese  (S.  Pekinensis),  181 
Common  (S.  vulgar  is),  180 
Hungarian  (S.  Josikaa),  181 
Persian  (S.  Persica),  181 
Rouen  (S.  Chinensis),  181 
Lfly  (Lilium),  38,  47,  83,  103,  209, 
268,    269;  Day    Lilies,    see 
below 
African  Blue  (Agapanthus  um- 

bellatus),  276 

Annunciation,  see  Madonna 
Autumn     (L.    speciosum,   Tar. 

rubrum),  269,  276 
Belladonna    (Amaryllis     bella- 
donna), 277 

Blackberry,    Leopard     Flower 

(Belemcanda    Chinensis,  also 

Pardanthus),6i,8z,277 

Canada  (L.  Canadense),  85,  277 

Checkered, Guinea  Hen  Flower, 

Snake's  Head,  see  Fritillary 
Chinese  Sacred,  see  Narcissus 


362 


The  American  Flower  Garden 


Lily,  Continued 

Coral  (L.  tenuifolium),  277 
Gold-banded  (L.  auratum),  268, 

269,  277 

Henry's  (L.  Henryi),  277 
Indian    Giant    (Eremurus    re- 

bustus),  277 
Jacobaea     (Spikelia      formosis- 

sima),  277 

Japan  (L.  elegans),  278 
Madonna  (L.  candidum),  198, 

278 

Martagon,  see  Scarlet 
Neapolitan  (Allium  Neapolita- 

nurri),  278 
Of-the-valley  (Convallaria  ma- 

jalis),  6 1, 1 08,  196,  206,  269, 

Philadelphia  Red  (L.  Philadel- 

phicum),  278 
Powell's  Cape(Crmww  Powetti), 

278 

Plantain,  see  Day  Lily 
Red,  Wood,  see  Philadelphia 
St.  Bernard's  (Anther icum  Lilt- 
ago),  6 1 
St.  Bruno's  (Paradisea  Lilias- 

trum,  Anther  icum  Liliastrum), 

61 

St.  Joseph's,  see  Madonna 
Scarlet   Martagon   (L.    Chalct- 

donicum),  278 
Tiger  (L.  tigrinum),  73, 278 
Tigridia  pavonia,  277 
Toad     (Trier  it  is     hirta,     var. 

nigra),  I 10 
Trout,  see   Dog  Tooth  Violet, 

83,  269 
Wood,    see    Philadelphia  Lily; 

also  Wake  Robin  (Trillium) 
Lily,  Day    (Funkia   and  Hemero- 

callis),  73,81,207,212,277 
Blue,  see  Plantain  Lily,  63 
Dwarf  Orange  (H.  Dumortieri), 

277 

Lemon  (H.  fava),  58,  269,  277 
Orange  (H.  julva),  58,  73,  81, 

209,  269,  277 
Plantain,  Blue  (Funkia  ovata), 

63 
White  (F.  subcordata),  63,  269; 

often  confused  with  Hemer- 

ocallis 
Lilies,  Water  (Nymphaa)  113-123. 

Named  varieties,  124 
Limnanthemum     lacunosum,     see 

Floating  Heart,  128 
Limnocharis  Humboldti,  see  Poppy, 

Water, 
Linden,  Silver  (Tilia  Americana), 

142,  149 

Weeping  (T.  petiolaris),  149 
Linum,  see  Flax 
Liquidambar  styraciflua,  see  Gum, 

Sweet,  145,  154 

Liriodendron  tulipifera,   see    Pop- 
lar, Tulip,  153 


Liverwort    (Hepatica   triloba),   see 

Hepatica 

Lobelia,  115,1 20,  243 
Blue  (L.  Erin  us},  250 
cardinal!*,   see  Cardinal  Flower 
"Crystal       Palace"       (  Lobelia 

erinus,  var.  compacta),  250 
Locust,  142,328,341 

False  Acacia  (Robinia  Pseuda- 

cacia),  149 
Honey  (Gleditschia  triacanthoi), 

189 

Lombardy  Poplar,  see  Poplar 
London  Pride,  Catchfly,  None-so- 
pretty,     Ragged     Robin,   St- 
Patrick's      Cabbage     (Saxi- 
fraga  umbrosa),  61 
Lonicera,  see  Honeysuckle 
Loosestrife,  Purple  (Lythrum  Sali- 

caria),  93,  127 
Lotus  (Nelumbo),  38, 117, 118, 119, 

122,  123 

American  (N.  luted),  128 
Indian,  pink  (N.  nucifera    or 
speciosum),   114,   124,  128 
var.  rose  a,  128 
var.  Shiroman,  128 
var.  Kinshiren,  128 
Love-entangle,     see   Stone  Crop, 

no 
Love-in-a-mist    (Nigella    Damat- 

cena\  61,  198  250 
Love-lies-bleeding,  see  Amaranthus 
Lunaria,  see  Honesty 
Lupin  (Lupinus  perennis),  93,  215 
Hairy  (L.  hirsutus),  61 
Yellow  (L.  luteus),  62,  93 
Lychnis,   212 

Chalcedonica,  see  Maltese  Cross, 

62 
Coeli-rosa,  see  Rose  of  Heaven, 

64 

coronaria,  see  Mullein  Pink,  61 
Flos-cuculi,  var.  plenissima,  see 

Ragged  Robin,  64 
Viscaria,  see  Catchfly 
Lycium   Chinensey  and  halimifol- 
ium,  see  Matrimony  Vine,  335 
Lysimachia        nummularia,        see 

Moneywort,  335 
Lythrum   salicaria,  see  Loosestrife 


Madia  elegans,  see  Tarweed,  253 
Magnolia,  38,  49,  114,  133,  142. 
Named  species,  147,  150, 
189 

Chinese,  see  Yulan 

Cucumber  Tree  (Magnolia 
acuminata),  143,  147,  150 

Eraser's  (M.  Fraseri\  150 

Great  Laurel,  see  Large- 
flowered 

Hall's,  see  Starry 

Large-flowered  (M.  grandi- 
fora,  or  fcctida),  135,  150, 
158,  160 


Magnolia,  Continued 

Large-leaved         (M.       macro- 

phylla),  150 
Soulange's    (M.    Soulangeana), 

150,  189 
Starry,    Hall's    (M.      stellata), 

143,  150,  167,  173,  181 
Swamp  Bay   (M.   glauca),  86, 

150,  189 

Yulan,  Chinese,  49,  143,  150 
Mahonia,      Ashberry       (Mahonia 
Aquifolium),  74,  85,  169,   187 
Creeping  (Berber  is  re  fens),  158 
Holly-leaved,    187 
Japan  (B.  Japonica),  158 
B.  Nepaleniis,  159 
Maidenhair,  84 
Maidenhair  Tree  (Ginkgo  biloba), 

1S* 

Mallow,  Rose,  Hibiscus    Moscheu- 
tos),  83,  86,  87,  93,  208,  219 
Hybrids,  224 
Musk  (Malva  moschata),  224, 

*54 

Swamp,  see  Mallow,  Rose 
Maltese     Cross  (Lychnis     Chalet- 
don  ica),  62 

Malva  moschata,  see  Mallow 
Man-of-the-Earth,       see       Moon- 
flower 

Manure,  22,  23,  238,  242,  299,  301 
Maple  (Acer),  48,  77,  78, 141, 151, 

Ell 

A.  Pennsylvania,  151 
Japanese    Dwarf    (A.    palma- 
tum,  in  many  varieties:  atro- 
purpureum,      aureum,      dis- 
tectum,     sanguineum,     etc.), 
72,  120,  144,  151,  181 
Norway  (A.  platanoides),  151 
Red  (A.  rubrum),  114,  151,  173 
Scarlet,  see  Red 
Silver,    Soft    (A.    saccharinum 

or  dasycarpum),  142,  151 
Striped  (A.  Pennsylvania),  151 
Sugar  (A.  saccharum),  145,  151 
Swamp,  see  Red 
Wier's   Cutleaved   (A.    saccha- 
rinum, var.  Wiert),  151 
Marigold,  50,  233,  242,  244,  245 
African    (Tagetes    erecta),    250 
French   (T.   patula),  250 
Marsh    (Caltha    palustris),   86, 

105,  115,  1 20,  128 
Pot  (Calendula  officinalis),  250 
Marsh  Marigold  (Caltha  palustris), 

see  Marigold 
Marsilia    quadrifolia,    see    Clover, 

Water 

Marvel  of  Peru, see  Four  o'Clock,59 
Matricaria  indora,  see  Chamomile, 

218 
Matrimony  Vine  (Lycium  Chinense), 

335 

L.  halimifolium,  335 
Matthiola  incana,  var.  annua,   see 
Stock,  Ten  Weeks' 


Index 


363 


m  pehatum), 


93 


Meadow    Rue,    Tall    (Thalictrum 

aquilegi  folium),  83,    86,    93, 

120,  127,  208,  212 
T.  dioicum,  93 
Meadow    sweet,   (Ulmaria    penta- 

petala),  93.  See  also  Spirea 
Mentxelia  Lindleyi,  see  Bartonia 
Mertensia  pulmonariotdes  or  Vir- 

ginica  —  see     Cowslip,    Vir- 

ginia, 230 

see  Cowslip,  Virginia,  230 
Mesembryanthemum      crystallinum, 

see  Ice  Plant,  250 
Mignonette    (Reseda     odorata),   62 

H5»  263>3°° 

Milkweed  Butterfly,  Pleurisy  Root 
(Asclepias   tuberosa),  83,  84, 
89,  212,  270,  273 
Common  (A.  Cornuti),  93 
Swamp  (A.  incarnata),  93 
Milkwort,  Fringed  (Polygala  pauci- 

folia),  93 

Milla  (M.  bffor*\  278 
Mimosa  pudica,  see  Sensitive  Plant, 

252 
Mimulus,  see  Monkey  Flower,  225 

moschatus,  see  Musk,  251 
Mint,  45,  46,  54 

Cat,  214 
Mirabilis  Jalapa,  see  Four  o'  Clock, 

59 

Miscanthus  Sinensis,  see  Eulalia 
Mist  Flower  (Conoclinium  ctelesti- 

num),  108 
Mistletoe,  116 
Mitchella     repens,     see     Partridge 

Berry,  93»  335 
Mitrewort,  False,  see  False  Mitre- 

wort,  91 
Moccasin     Flower,     see     Lady's 

Slipper,  86,  92 
Mock  Cypress,  251 
Mock  Orange,  Syringa  (Philadel- 
phus    coronarius),    165,    170, 
181,  182,  186 

Falconer's   (P.   Falconeri),  182 
Golden,  var.  aureus,  182 
Gordon's      (P.     Gordonianus)t 

181 

Lemoine's  (P.  Lemoinei),  181 

Scentless  (P.  inodorus),  182 

Moluccella  loevis,  see  Shell  Flower, 

252 

Monarda  didyma,  see  Balm,  Bee 
Moneywort    (Lysimachia    nummu- 

laria),  335 
Monkey  Flower,  254 

Blue  (Mimulus  ringens),  225 
Red  (Af  .  cardinalis),  225 
Yellow  (M.  luteus),  225 
Monkshood  (Aconitum    Napellus\ 

213,  225 
Monk's  Pepper  Tree,  see  Chaste 

Tree,  177 
Montbretia  (Tritonia),  28  1 


Moonflower     (Ipomaea    bona-nox), 

251 

Man-of-the-Earth,  Wild  Potato 

(7.  pandurata),  224,  225,  254 

Morning-glory  (Ipomcea  purpurea), 

25'»  332 

Morus,  see  Mulberry 
Moss,  105,  115,  116 

Pink,  see  Phlox 
Mo ther-of -thyme,  see  Thyme 
Mountain  Ash,  151,  see  Ash, 
Fringe  (Adlumia),  332 
Laurel,  see  Laurel 
Mulberry,  French  (Callicarpa  pur- 
purea), 182 

Native  (C.  Americana) ,  182 
C.  purpurea,  182 
Russian   (Morus   alba,  var.  To- 

tarica\  152 

Mulch,  22,  205,  301,  322,  332 
Mullein     Pink,     Rose     Campion 

(Lychnis  coronaria),  62 
Muscari  botryoides,  see  Hyacinth, 

Grape 
Musk  (Mimulus  moschatus),  245, 

25' 

Mallow,  224,  254 
Myosotis,  see  Forget-me-not 
Myrica  cerifera,  see  Bayberry 
Myriophyllum  proserpinacoides,  see 

Parrot's  Feather,  129 
Myrtle,  Periwinkle  (Vinca  minor), 

48,  62,  159,  198,  226,  335 
Wax     (Myrica     cerifera),     see 

Bayberry 


Nanny  Berry,  see  Sheep  Berry,  182, 

184 

Narcissus,  Genus,  including  Nar- 
cissus, Jonquil  and  Daffodil, 
groups:     262   et  seq.,  278    et 
seq.  Named  species  and  va- 
rieties, 279,  280 
Chinese  Sacred   "lily,"   262 
Daffodils,  47,  58,  105,  196,  203, 
212,  261  et  seq,  274,  279  et  seq. 
Jonquil    (N.    Jonquilla),    262, 

276,  279 
Poet's  (N.  poeticus),  72,   196, 

212,  242,  261,  262,  279,  280 
Polyanthus  279 
Tazetta,  278 
Nasturtium  (Tropasolum),  233,  236, 

244  245,  3*9>  33i,  33* 
Dwarf  (T.  minus,),  251 
T.  officinale,  see  Cress 
Tall  (T.  majus),  251 
Native   Plants  for  the  Wild  Gar- 
den, 8 1,  88 

Naturalistic  Garden,  28,  69 
Nelumbo,  see  Lotus 
Nemophila  insignis,  245,  251 
Nettle,  Variegated  (Lamium  macu- 
latum,  var.  variegatum),   225 
New  Jersey  Tea  (Ceanothus  Ameri- 
canus),  182 


Nicoliana    Tabacum,  see  Tobacco 
Plant 

Nigella  Damascena,  see  Love-in-a- 
mist 

Ninebark     (Physocarpus     opulifo- 
lius),  86,  182 

None-so-pretty,  see  London  Pride 

Nursery,       First      commercial    in 

America,  49 
Home,  22,  203 

Nymphaa,  see  Water  Lily 

Nyssa   sylvatica,  see  Tupelo,  Sour 
Gum  154, 


Oak  (Quercus),  141,  142,  145 
English  (Robur  or  pedunculata), 

152 
Mossy   Cup   (^.    macrocarpa), 

*52 

Pin  (£>.  palustris),  140,  152 
Red  (*>.  rubra),  142,  145,  152 
Scarlet  (££.  coccinea),  145 
White  (£>.  alba),  152 
Willow  (£.  P 'hello s),  152 
(Enothera  amaena,  see  Godetia,  245, 

249 

biennis,  see  Primrose,  Evening 
fruticosa  see  Sun  Drops 
Missouriensis,  see  Primrose 
Whitneyi,  249.    See  also  Godetia 
Old-fashioned  Garden,  45,  56 
Oleander,  169 
Oleaster,  Russian  Olive  (Eleagnus 

an  gusti folia),  182 
Olive,  35 

Opuntia,  see  Prickly  Pear,  227 
Orange,    Hardy     Thorny    (Citrus 

trifoliata),  168,  189 
Mock,  see  Mock  Orange 
Osage,  see  Osage  Orange 
Orchid,  83,  91,  103,  116.    See  also 

Lady's  Slipper 
White-fringed,  86 
Orchis,  Yellow-fringed  (Habenaria 

ciliaris),  96 
Ornamental   Deciduous  Trees   for 

Lawns  and  Gardens,  146 
Grasses,  257,  285 
Ornithogalum  umbellatum,  259, 281; 

see  Star  of  Bethlehem 
Osage  Orange     (Toxylon      pomi- 

ferum),   189 

Osmunda,  see  Fern,  Royal 
Oswego  Tea  (Monarda),  see  Balm, 

Bee,   329 

Outdoor  living  rooms,  39,  350 
Oxalis  acetosella,  see  Sorrel,  285 
Ox-eye  Daisy,  see  Daisy 
Oxydendrum  arboreumt    tee  Sorrel 
Tree,  154 


Pachysandra,  see  Spurge 
Painted  Cup,  329 
Palm,  24 
Pampas,  see  Grass 


364 


The  American  Flower  Garden 


Pansy,  Heartsease,  Johnny-jump- 
up,    Ladies'  Delight    (Viola 
tricolor),    48,   62,   225,    241, 
245,  251  261,  270,  300 
Tufted  (V.  cornuta),  108,  225 

Papaver,  see  Poppy 

Papyrus  (Cyperus  Papyrus),  114, 
119,  129 

Pardanthus   (Belemcanda   Chinen- 
sis)  see  Lily,  Blackberry,  277 

Paradisea    Liliastrum,    see     Lily. 
St.  Bruno's 

Parrot's    Feather     (Myrhphyllum 
proserpinacoides),  129 

Partnership    between   Nature  and 
Art,  3 

Partridge  Berry  (Mitchella  repent), 

93>335 

Pasque  Flower,  see  Anemone,  106 
Passion  Flower,  350 
Paulownia  imperialis,  see  Empress 

Tree,  148 
Pea,  Perennial  (Lathyrus  latifolius)t 

226,  335 
Perennial  (L.  grandiflorus),  226, 

Siberian  (Caragana  arborescens), 

184 
Sweet  (L.  odor  at  us),   233,   240, 

Peach,  Flowering  (Persica  vulgaris, 
var.  fl.  pi.),  143, 144, 153, 173 
Pear,  Prickly,  see  Prickly  Pear 
Pearl  Achillea,  see  Achillea,  182 
Bush    (Exochorda  grandiflora)t 

182 

Pennisetum,  see  Grass 
Pentstemon,    Beard    Tongue    (P. 
barbatus),  106,  207,  213,  217 
Blue  (P.  difusus),  217 
Purple  (P.  Cobasa),  217 
White  (lavigatus,  var.  Digitalis), 

94 

Yellow  (P.  deustus),2ij 
Peony,  Herbaceous  (Paonia  offi- 
cinalis  and  albi  flora),  62,  195, 
196,  201,  206  et  seq.t 
226,  234.  Named  varieties, 
62 

Tree  (P.  Moutan),  186 
Pepper  Bush,  Sweet,  see  Clethra 
Pepperidge  Tree,  see  Gum,  Sour, 

Perennials,  17,  48,  76,  77 

For  a  Thought-out  Garden,  195 
List  of,  216 

Periploca  Grceca,  see  Sflk  Vine,  336 
Periwinkle,  see  Myrtle 
Persica  vulgaris,  fl.  pi.,  see  Peach, 

Flowering 
Petunia,  10, 104,  236,  239, 242, 344, 

(P.  hybrida),  251 
Phalaris  arundtnacea,   see    Grass, 

Ribbon,  286 
Phaseolus     multiflorus,     see     Fire 

Bean,  334 
Philadelphus,  see  Mock  Orange 


Phlox,  74,  78,  85,  103,  195,  198. 

202,   207,   212,   213,   245,   306 

Annual     (Phlox     Drummondi), 

252 
Creeping    (P.    subulata),    108, 

H3,    196,   211,   212,   226,   234 

Drummondi,  see  Annual 
maculata,    see    Sweet    William 
Perennial  (P.   paniculata),    63. 

Named  varieties,  226 
Wild  Blue  (P.  divaricata),   94, 

226 

Phyllostachys,  see  Bamboo 
Physalis,     see      Cherry,     Winter, 

230 

Physocarpus  opulifolius,  see  Nine- 
bark,  86,  182 
Picea,  see  Spruce 
Pickerel  Weed  (Pontederia  cordata), 

94,114,  120,  129 
Pier  is  foribunda,  see  Fetter  Bush 

Japonica,  see  Rosemary,  160 

Mariana,  see  Stagger  Bush,  185 
Pine  (Pinus),  20, 27, 101, 138, 159, 
328 

Austrian  (P.  Laricio,  ran 
Austriaca),  159 

Dwarf  Mountain)  P.  Montana, 
var.  Mughus),  101, 140, 159 

Pitch  (P.  rigida),  159 

Red  (P.  resinosa),  159 

Scotch  (P.  sylvestris),  159 

Umbrella  (S  dado  pit ys  v€r- 
ticillata),  159 

White  (P.  Strobus),  140,  159 
Pink  (Dianthus): 

Carnation,  213,  241 

Chinese,  Snow  or  Star  (D.  Chi- 
nensis),  63,  246,  252 

Clove,  Garden,  Grass,  Pheas- 
ant's Eye,  or  Scotch  (D.  plu- 
marius),  63,  196,  198,  227, 

Grass      (Calopogon,     orchid), 

see  91 
Fringed  (D.  superbus),  63,  211, 

227 

Maiden  (D.  deltoides),  63 
Miss  Simpkins    (Dianthus    hy- 
brid), 227 

Moss,  see  Phlox,  Creeping 
Mullein,  see  Mullein  Pink,  62 
Sea,  see  Sea  Pink 
Pinus,  see  Pine 
Pinxter  Flower,  see  Azalea 
Pitcher  Plant  (Sarracenia  purpurea), 

116,  129 
Plane,    American    (Platanus   occi- 

dentalis),   153 

Oriental    (P.  orientalis),  153 
Platanus,  see  Plane 
Platycodon    grandiflora,    see    Bell- 
Flower,  Balloon  Flower 
Pleurisy     Root,     see     Milkweed, 

Butterfly 
Plumbago,  see  Leadwort 


Plum,  Flowering  (Prunus  triloba), 

144,  183 

Purple  (P.  Pissardi),  183 
Podophyllum    peltatum,    «ee    May 

Apple,  93 
Paonia,  see  Peony 
Pogoda  Tree(Sophora  Japonica),iift 
Poinsettia,  u 

Poker   Plant,   Red-hot   (Kniphofia 
Pfitxeri),  74,  212,  271,  272, 
281 
Polemonium,   see   Jacob's    Ladder, 

1 08 
Polygala  paucijolia,  see  Milkwort 

Fringed,  93 

Polygonatum    biflorum,    see    Solo- 
mon's Seal,  85, 94 
Polypodies,  84 
Pond  lily,  see  Water  Lily 
Ponttderia    cordata,    see    Pickerel 

Weed 
Poplar,  141,  142 

Carolina       (Populus        Caroli- 
nian a),  153 
Lombardy     (P.      nigra,      var. 

Italica),  38,  153 
Tulip  (Liriodendron  Tulipifera), 

Poppy  (Papaver),  10,48,73,  120, 

204,  215,  239,  242  rt  *<?<?. 
Alpine  (P.  alpinum),  227 
California    (Eschscholzia    Call- 

fornica),  247 
Celandine  (Styhphorum  diphyl- 

lum),  90 

Corn  (P.  Rhceas),  63,  252 
Horned  (Glaucium  luteum),  222, 

254 
Iceland  (P.  nudicaule),  108, 227, 

254 
Opium     (P.    somniferum),    63, 

252 
Oriental  (P.  orientale),  10,  207, 

212,  214,  227,  265 
Plume  (B occonia  cordata),  227 
Shirley,  varieties  of  Corn  poppy, 

252 
Water      (Limnocharis      Hum- 

boldti),  114,  119,  130 
Populus,  see  Poplar 
Portulaca,  Rose  Moss    (Portulaca 

grandiflora),  73,  104,  252 
Potentilla  fruticosa,  see  Cinquefoil 
Pot  Marigold,  see  Marigold 
Prickly      Pear       Cactus     (Opun- 

tia  vulgaris),  227 
Primrose  (Primula),  103 
Day,  see  Sun  Drops 
English  (P.  vulgaris),  71,  108 
Evening      ((Enothera     biennis, 
var.  grandiflora),  86,  87,  221, 
245 
Many-flowered    (P.  polyantha), 

108 

Primula,  see  Primrose 
Prince  of  Wales'sFeather,$ec^fmar- 
anthus,  246 


Index 


365 


Privet  (Ligustrum\  167, 210, 197 
Amoor  (L.  Amurense),  189 
California  (L.  ovalifolium),  189 
Regel's  (L.  Ibota,  var.  Re  gelt- 

anum},  168, 183, 190 
Prunus  Avium,  see  Cherry,  Flow- 
ering 

Japonica,  see  Almond,  Flower- 
ing 

Pissardi,     see     Plum,     Dirk- 
leaved 

triloba,  see  Plum 
Pueraria  Thunbergiana,  see  Kudzu 

Vine 

Pussy  Willow,  see  Willow 
Pyracantha    coccinea,    see    Thorn, 

Evergreen,  162 
Pyrethrum    (Chrysanthemum    coc- 

cineum),  64,  212 

Pyrus  foribunda,  see  Crab,  Flower- 
ing* H7 
loensis,  see  Crab,  Bechtel's,  147 


Quamash     (Camassia     esculenta), 

281 
Queen  Anne's  Lace,  Wild   Carrot, 

tl 

Quercus,  see  Oak 
Quince,  Japan  (Cydonia  Japonica), 

168,  170,  173,  180,  190 
Quotation: 

A    dressed    garden,   John   D. 

Sedding,  68 
A  flower  in  a  friend's  garden, 

Miss  Mitford,  206 
A  garden  is  a  lovesome  thing, 

Thos.  Edw.  Brown,  290 
All  is  beauty,  Robert  Brown- 
ing, 80 
And     all     without,      Edmund 

Spencer,  338 

A  plot  of  ground,  Dryden,  44 
Artificial      rockery,      Gertrude 

Jekyll,  98 

Art's  mission,  Taine,  9 
Art  which  doth  mend   nature, 

Shakespeare,  3 
Beautiful    roses,    Dean    Hole, 

291 
Best     which      lieth      nearest, 

Longfellow,  164 
Colour,  235 

Crown  imperial,  Gerarde,  267 
Cultivation,  John  Evelyn,  232 
Daffodils,  William  Wordsworth, 

261 
Educate     the     perception      of 

beauty,  Emerson,  164 
Epicurus,     Abraham     Cowley, 

,320 

Erring  sweetness,   Herrick,  76 
Flowers  and  plants  that  do  best 

perfume  air,  Lord  Bacon,  54 
Flowers    which    Netherlander* 

have    introduced,    Van    der 

Donck,  Adrian,  50 


Quotation,  Continued 

Herbs  instead  of  drugs,  George 
Herbert,  45 

I  find  you  worthy,  20 

Laying  out  grounds,  Words- 
worth, 2 

Modifying  the  appearance  of  a 
flower,  Maeterlinck,  232 

Narcissus,  Mohammed,  261 

Nature,  Lamartine,  256 

Nature  has  the  will  but  not  the 
power,  Aristotle,  5 

Nature's    sanctuary,    Thoreau, 
86,  115 
Nikko,  Japanese  adage,  9 

Overcanopied  with  luscious 
woodbine,  Shakespeare,  54 

Plant  thou  a  tree,  134 

Pleasant  flowers,  Parkinson,  47 

Reply  to  a  lady  who  knew  what 
she  liked,  Ruskin,  7 

The  best  gardening  composi- 
tions, Edward  Andre",  30 

The  duty  we  owe  to  our  gar- 
dens, Miss  Jekyll,  216 

The  old-fashioned  English  gar- 
den, John  D.  Sedding,  44 

The  perfect  flower  garden,  235 

There  is  no  such  thing  as  a  style 
fitted  for  every  situation,  W. 
Robinson,  14 

The  water  garden,  Guy  Lowell, 

112 

The  wild  garden,  W.  Robin- 
son, 80 

To  disguise  the  real  boundary, 
Repton,  14 

Trees,  Dr.  O.  W.  Holmes,  132 

Twelve  maxims,  Geo.  H.  EU- 
wanger,  194 

Vegetable  monsters,  Linnaeus, 
265 

What  is  a  garden?  John  D. 
Sedding 

When  ages  grow  to  civility  and 
elegancy,  Lord  Bacon,  8 


Ragged     Robin,     London    Pride 

(Lychnis  Flos-cucult),  64 
Ever-blooming    (L.  Flos-cuculi 

yar.  plenissima),  64 
Sailor,  see  Bachelors'  Buttons 
Rambler,  see  Rose 
Ranunculus,  see  Bachelors'  Buttons 
Raspberry,  Flowering  (Rubus  edtr- 

atus),  183 
Rattlesnake     Plantain,     (Goodytrm 

pubescens),  94 
Red     Bud,    Judas    Tree    (Ctrcis 

Canadensis),  55,  72,  85,  143, 

*$3 

Red-hot  Poker,  see  Poker  Plant 
Reed,    Giant    or    Great    (Arundt 
"Donax),  272 

rar  macrophylla,  128,  287 

Tar.  variegatus,  287 


Reseda  odorata,  see  Mignonette 

Retinispora,  160,  see  Cypress,  Jap- 
anese 

Rhamnus,  see  Buckthorn 

Rhododendron,  Rose  Bay,  Great 
Laurel  (Rhododendron  maxi- 
mum}, 17,38,  73,  82  et  stq., 
101,  103,  115,  168,174,  175, 
268 

Catawba  (R.  Catawbienst). 
Named  hybrids  of  R.  Cataw- 
biense  and  R.  Ponticum,  160 

Rhodora,  see  Azalea 

Rhodotypos  Kerrioides,  see  Kerria, 
180 

Rhus  Cotinus,  see  Smoke  Bush,  184 
laciniata,  see  Sumach,  186 
typhina,  see  Sumach 
venenata,  see  Sumach 

Ribes  aureum,  see  Currant 

Richardia  albo-maculata,  see  Cal- 
la,  Spotted 

Rice,  Wild,  1 14,  272 

Ricinus  communis,  see  Castor  Bean 

Robinia  hispida,  see  Acacia,  Rose, 

175 

Rock  Garden,  99,  101,  332 
List  of  plants  for,  106 
Rocket,    Sweet    Rocket,    Dame's 
Rocket  (Hesperis  matronalis), 
64,  196,  228,  254 
Rosa,  see  Roses, 
Rosarian's  Calendar,  305 
Roses  (Rosa),  10, 36, 47, 50, 75, 198, 

241,29110305,350 
For  all  purposes,  307 
Bedding,  Bengal  and  Polyantha 

Groups,  309 
Bourbon,  229,  305,  318 
Brier,  Yellow,  64,  306,  308 
Austrian  Copper,  294 
Harrison's  Yellow,  308 
Persian  Yellow,  294 
Scotch,  294 

Sweet,  Eglantine  (R.  rubigt- 
nosa),  47,  64,  294,  309 
Penzance    hybrids,     294, 

3°9 

Cabbage,  Provence  or  Hundred- 
leaved  (R.  cent  if  olio),  64,  316 

Carolina,  310 

China,  Mme.  Plantier,  308 

Climbing,  for  pillar  and  trellis, 
310 

Damask  (R.  Damascena),  48, 64, 
212,  295,  306,  308 

Garden,  291,  318 

lucida,  94,  190,  308 

Moss  (R.  gracilis),  316 

multiflora,  311 

Musk  (R.  Moschata),  311 

Perpetual,  Hybrid,  310,  314, 
List  of  316-318 

Polyantha,  295,  308,  309,  310, 

3" 
Prairie  (R.  setigtra),  94,  293, 

31°,  3" 


366 


The  American  Flower  Garden 


Roses,  Continued 

Rambler,  138,  299,  308,  310 
rugosa,  Japanese,  74,  168,  170, 

183,  190,  212,  292,  293,  294, 

305,  306,  308 
Shrubbery,  List  of,  308 

Tea,   17,  77,  242,  292,  295, 

*?9»  3°5>  3°6>  307 
List  of  311-132 
Tea,   Hybrid,   77,  306,  307, 

3"» 

List  of,  312-315 
W ichuraiana,  309,  310,  311 
York  and  Lancaster,  47,  48,  64, 

308 

Rose  Acacia,  see  Acacia,  175 
Rose  Bay,  see  Rhododendron 
Rose  Campion,  62 
Rose,  Christmas,  196,  219 
Rose  of  Heaven,  64 
Rose  Mallow,  see  Mallow 
Rose  Moss,  see  Portulaca,  252 
Rose  of  Sharon,  168,  170,  171,  175, 

183,  190,  201 
Rosemary,  45 
Rosemary,   Japanese,  Andromeda 

(Picrisjaponica),i$7 
Wild  (Andromeda  polifolia),  160 
Rubus    odoratusj    see    Raspberry, 

Flowering,  183 
Rudbeckia    hirta,    see    Black-eyed 

Susan 

lac  in  i  at  a,  see  Golden  Glow 
Rue,  Meadow,  see  Meadow  Rue 
Rush,    114,    120, 

Japanese,  see  Eulalia,  286 
Russian  Olive,  see  Oleaster 


Sage,  Blue  (Sahia  azurea),  107 
•     Scarlet     (S.     splendens),    243, 

252,  329 

Silver  (S.  argentea),  228 
St.  John's  Wort  (Hypericum  Mas- 

erianum),  228 
St.  Patrick's  Cabbage,  see  London 

Pride 

Salix.  see  Willow 
Salpiglossis  (S.  sinuata),  252 
Sahia,  see  Sage 

Sambucus    nigra,    see    Elder,    178 
Sanguinaria  Canadensis,  see  Blood 

Root 
Sarracenia   purpurea,    see    Pitcher 

Plant 

Savin  (Juniperus  Sabina),  161 
Saxifrage     (Saxifraga),    85,    103, 

109,  196,  211 

Pyramidal  (S.  cotyledon),  109 
Thick-leaved     (S.    crassifolia), 

109 
umbrosa,    see    London    Pride, 

61 
Scabious,    Sweet     (Scabiosa    atro- 

purpurea),  253 
Schizophragma  hydrangea  ides,    see 

Hydrangea 


Schixanthus   pinnatus,  see   Butter- 
fly Flower 
Sciadopitys    verticillata,    see  Pine, 

Umbrella,  159 

Scilla,  72,  105,  259,  see  Squill 
bifolia,  see  Squill 
fe stalls  and   nutans,  260.     See 

also  Wood  Hyacinths,  276 
Sibirica,  see  Squill 
Screens,  134,  136,  165,  331 
Sea  Buckthorn  (Hippophae  rham- 

noides),  176 
Holly      (Eryngium      amethysti- 

mum),  228 

Lavender  (Statice  lati folia),  109 
Pink   (Armeria   maritima),   27, 

109 

Sedges,  114,  120,  272 
Sedum,  see  Stone  Crop 
Seed,  200,  203,  204,  239,  240 
Self-heal     (Brunella     grandiflora), 

109 
Senna,   American    (Cassia   Mary- 

landica),  88 
Bladder  (Colutea    arborescens), 

176 
Sensitive  Plant   (Mimosa  pudica), 

252 

Service  Berry  (Amelanchier) ,    143 
Shadbush      (Amelanchier      Cana- 
densis), 72,  85,  143,  154,  166, 
167 

Sheep  Berry,  Nanny  Berry  (Vibur- 
num Lentago),  182,  184 
Shell  Flower  (Moluccella  laevis)  ,252 
Shooting   Star    (Dodecatheon  Mea- 

dia),  85,  109 
Shrubs,  17,   165 
List  of,  175 
Shrubs  and  Trees  for  Hedges, 

187 

Sidalcea  Pink  Beauty  (Sidal- 
cea  malvteflora,  var.  Listeri), 
228,  254 

Silene,  see  Catchfly 
Silk  Vine  (Periploca  Gratca),  336 
Silver   Bell   Tree   (Halesia  tetrap- 

tera),  184 
Silver  Vine  (Actinidia  arguta),  336 

A.  polygama,  336 
Skunk      Cabbage     (Symplocarpus 

icetidus),  94,  103 
Sky  line,  133,  166 
Smilacina  racemosa,  see  Solomon's 

Seal,  False 

Smoke  Bush  (Rhus  Cotinus),  184 
Snakeroot,      Black       (Cimicifuga 

racemosa),  89 
Canadian  (Asarum  Canadense), 

96 
White      (Eupatorium       agera- 

toides),  96 

Snake's  Head,  see  Fritillary 
Snapdragon  (Antirrhinum    majus), 

228,  245,  254 

Sneezeweed  (Helenium  autumnalet 
var.  superbum),  94,  229 


Sneezewort,  see  Achillea 
Snowball,  see  Viburnum 
Snowberry  (Symphoricarpos  ract- 

mosus),  170,  173,  184 
Snowdrop,     Common     (Galanthus 

nivalis),  258,  259,  281 
Giant   (G.  Elwesii,  var.  Whit- 

tallii),  281 
Windflower    (Anemone    sylves- 

tris\  230 
Snowdrop  Tree,   Silver  Bell  Tree, 

(Halesia  tetraptera),  184 
Snowflake  (Leucojum   vernum  and 

astivum),  281 
Snow-in-summer  (Cerastium  tomen- 

tosum\  109 

Soapwort,  Bouncing  Bet,  8 1 
Soil,  17,  23,  103,  203  et  seq. 
Solidago,  see  Goldenrod 
Solomon's  Seal  (Polygonatum  bi$o- 

rum),  94 
False  (Smilacina  racemosa),  85 

94 

True,  85 

Somerset,  see  Balsam 
Sophora    Japonica,    Pagoda  Tree, 

'53 

Sorbus,  see  Mountain  Ash 
Sorrel  Tree  (Oxydendrumarboreum), 

'54 
Wood    (Oxalis    acetosella    and 

0.  Boweif)y  285 
Spanish   Bayonet,  Adam's  Needle 

(Tucca  flamentosa),  74,   88, 

IS5>  "9 
Sparaxis  tricolor,  see  Wand  Flower, 

285 

Speedwell,   Great   Virginian   (Ver- 
onica Virginica),  95 
Sphagnum,  115,  116 
Spice  Bush  (Calycanthus  floridus), 

see  Strawberry  Shrub 
Benzoin  odoriferum,  170,  184 
Spiderwort   (Tradescantta   Virgini- 

ana),  95,  229 
Spindle,       Creeping       (Euonymus 

radicans),    333 
Tree     (Euonymus     Japonicus) 

190 
Spirea,  74,  144,  168,  170,  171,  173, 

2I3 
Anthony  Waterer   (S.  Bumalda 

var.  Anthony   Waterer),  170, 

185 

arguta,  185 
Blue     (Caryopteris     Mastacan- 

thus),  176,  213 
Bridal  Wreath  (S.  Thunbergif), 

185 
Goat's  Beard,  False,  or  Feathery 

Spirea  (Astilbe  Japonica),  229 
Meadow   Sweet  (S.  salicifolia), 

86,93,  114,213,225 
multi-flora,  185 

Plum-leaved  (S.  prunifolia),  185 
Steeple  Bush,     Hardback     (S. 

tomentosa),  185 


Index 


367 


Spirea,  Continued 

Thunberg's,  see  Bridal  Wreath 
Van  Houtte's  (S.  van  Houttti)  , 

185,  190 
Spleenworts,  84 

Sprikelia     formosissima,    see    Lily 
Spring  Beauty   (Claytonia    Virgi- 

nia}, 86,  95,  115 
Spruce  (Picea),  135,  137,  161 


Colorado  Blue,  120,  137 
Douglas     (Pseudotsuga     Doug- 

Jasii),  137,  161 
Engelmann's  (P.  Engelmanni), 

161 

Koster's  Blue,  161 
Norway  (P.  excelsa),  137,  161, 

III 

Oriental  (P.  orientalis),  161 
White  (P.  alba),  137,  161 
Spurge,    Mountain     (Pachysandra 

terminalis),  108,  161,  335 
Squill      (Scilla),    see     also    Scilla: 
*   Siberian  (S.  Sibirica),  258,  260, 

281 
Two-leaved  (S.  bifolia),  260 

var.  Taurica,  281 

Stachys  lanata,  see  Woundwort,  1  10 
Stagger  Bush  (Pieris  Mariana),i8$ 
Staphylea  tri  folia  and  colchica,  see 

Bladder  Nut 
Star    Flower,  Yellow   (Sternbergia 

lutea),  285 
of     Bethlehem     (Ornithogalum 

umbellatum),  259,  281 
Statice  latifolia,  see  Sea  Larender 
Steeple  Bush,  see  Spirea 
Sternbergia  lutea,  see  Star  Flower 
Stock,     Tan     Weeks     (Matthiola 
incana,  Tar.  annua),  65,  242, 

245>  253 
Stokes's    Aster  (Stokesia    cyanea), 

109,  var.   alba,   109 
Stokesia  cyanea,  see  Stokes's  Aster 
Stonecrop  (Sedum): 

Hybrid  (S.  hybridum),  no 
Love    Entangled    (S.  sexangu- 

lare),   no 

Showy  (5.  spectabile),  228 
White  (5.  album),  no 
Storax     (Styrax     Japonica      and 

5.  Obassia),  186 
Strawberry  Bush  (EuonymusAmert- 

canus),   186 
Shrub    (Calycanthus    foridus), 

165,  186 

Tomato,  see  Cherry,  Winter 
Stylopkorum  diphyllum,  see  Poppy, 

Celandine,  90 
Styrax,  see  Storax 
Succory,  81,  87 
Sultan,  Sweet,  253 
Sumach,  Stag  Horn  (Rhus  typhina), 

85,  166,  170,  186 
Cut-leaved  (var.  laciniata),  186 
Poison  (R.  venenata),  186 
Smooth  (R.  glabra),  1  86 


Sundew,  116 

Sun  Drops,  Day  Primroses  (CEnt- 

thera  fruticosa),  95,  228 
Sunflower  (Helianthus}: 

Annual(flr.a«««ttj)and  varieties, 

50,  209,  212,  244,  253 
Double    perennial    (H.    multi- 

•florus,  var.  plenus),  229 
Maximilian's  (H.  Maximilian*), 

95»  "9 

Slender  (H.  orgyalis),  229 
Sweet  Flag,  see  Iris 
Pea,  see  Pea 
Pepper  Bush,  see  Clethra 
Sultan     (Centaurea     Moschata 

and  Margarita),  253 
William     (Dianthus    barbatus), 

48,   64,   205,  206,  213,   229, 

245, 254 
William,  Wild  (Phlox  divaricata 

and  maculata),  96, 1 10 
Symphoricarpos      racemosus,      see 

Snowberry 

vulgaris,  see  Coral  Berry 
Syringa,    see    Lilac,     also    Mock 

Orange 


Tagetes     erecta     and     patula,    see 

Marigold 
Tamarack  (Larix  Americana),  114, 

J54 

L.  Euro  pea,  154 
Tamarix   (Tamarix  Gallica),   186, 

191 

Tanacetum  vulgare,  see  Tansy 
Tansy  (Tanacetum  vulgare),  46,  81, 

95,  230 

Tarweed  (Madia  eiegans),  253 
Taxodium  distichum,  see  Cypress 
r^wtt5,  see  Yew 
Tecoma     radicans,     see     Trumpet 

Creeper 

Thalia  (Thalia  divaricata),  129 
Thalictrum,  see  Meadow  Rue 
Thorn      Apple,     see     Jamestown 

Weed 
Evergreen  (Pyracantha  coccinea 

var.  Lalandi),  162 
White,  170 

Thuya  occidentalis,  see  Arborrite 
var.    pyramidalis,    see    Cedar, 

White. 
Thuya,  101 
Thyme,  45,  46 

Mother-of-(r/r^mw5  serphyllum) 

1 08 

Wild,  54 

Tiarella  cordifolia,  see  False  Mitre- 
wort 
Tickseed,    (Coreopsis),   206,    207, 

212,  220 
C.  lanceolata,  230 
C.  tinctoria,  253 
Tilia,  see  Linden 
Toad  Lily,  see  Lily 
Toadstools,  105 


Tobacco  Plant  (Nicotiana   Taba- 

cum),  239,  242,  253 
JV.  tf/ofa,  253 
2V.  Sander*,  253 

Torenia   Fournieri,   see   Wishbone 
Flower,  254 

Toxylon    pomifcrum,     see     Osage 
Orange 

Tradescantia        Virginiana,       see 
Spiderwort,  95,  229 

Transplanting  seedlings,  206 
Trees,  140,  141 
Wild  Flowers,  81,  83 

Trees,  17,  133 
List  of,  146 

Trees  and  shrubs  for  hedges,  List 
of,  187 

Tricrytis  hirta,  see  Lily 

Trigidia  pavonia,  see  Lily,  Day, 277 

Trillium,  see  Wake  Robin 

Tritoma,  see  Poker  Plant,  Red-hot, 
281 

Tritonia,    Montbretia    (T.    crocos- 

mceflora),  281 
T.  Pottsi,  281 

Trollius,  see  Globe  Flower,  221 

Tropaolum  peregrinum,  see  Canary- 
bird  Vine,  333 

majus,  and  minus,  see  Nastur- 
tium 

Trumpet,    Creeper,  (Tecoma  radi- 
cans) 329,  336 

Tsuga  Canadensis,  see  Hemlock 

Tuberose  (Polianthes  tuberosa),  281 

Tuberous  and  Bulbous  Plants,  List 
of,  273 

Tufted  Pansy,  see  Pansy 

Tulip  (Tulipa),  47,  50,  70,   105, 
212,  242,  257,  261,  264,  265, 
266,  267,  270,  293 
Bedding   (T.   suaveolens) 
List  of  named    species  and 
varieties,  282-285 
Mariposa,  285 

Tulip  Tree     (Liriodendron   tulipi- 
fera),  114,  142,  153 

Tupelo,  see  Gum,  Sour,  154 

Turk's  Cap,  see  Lily 

Turtle  Head,  86 

Typha  latifolia,  see  Bulrush 


Ulmaria  pentapetala,  see  Meadow- 
sweet 

Ulmus,  see  Elm 

Umbrella  Pine,  see  Pine 

Plant     (Cyperus     alternijolius'], 
129 

Uniola  latifolia,  see  Grass 

Utricularia,  see  Bladderwort 


Valerian,  Garden  Heliotrope  (Vale- 
riana  officinalis),  48,  65,  212, 
213,  241,  266 

Varnish  Tree  (Kalreuteria  pani- 
culata),  154 


368 


The  American  Flower  Garden 


Venus' s  Fly-trap,  116 
Veronica: 

Americana,  see  Brook  Lime,  127 

Long-leaved  (Veronica  longifoJia 

and    spicata,    and  var.    sub- 

sessilis),  65,  230 

Fir  gin  tea,  see  Speedwell,  Great 

Virginian,  95 

Viburnum,  83,  85,  115,  116,  170 
acerfolium,  see  Dockmackie,  178 
dentatum,  see  Arrow  Wood,   187 
Lantana,  see  Wayfaring    Tree, 

187 
Lentago,   see    Sheep    Berry    or 

Nanny  Berry,  184 
Opulus,  var.  sterile,  see  Snow- 
ball, 184 

tomentosum,  see  Japanese  Snow- 
ball, 184 

Victoria  regia,  114,  122 
Vinca  minor,  see  Myrtle 
Vines,  321 

List  of,  332 

Viola,  see  Violet  and  Pansy 
Violet  (Viola  odorata),  50,  65,  85, 
95,  206,  241,  261 
Tar.  California,  65 
Tar.  Russian,  65,  211 
Dog's  Tooth,  see  Dog's  Tootk 

Violet 

Horned  (V.  corn  Ufa),  108 
Wild  (V.  cucullata),  95 
Virginia  Creeper,  52,  53 

Ampehpsis  quinquefolia,  52, 

.  53>  326»  336 
Virgin's  Bower  (Clematis  Virgim- 

ana),  see  Clematis,  336 
Vitex,  see  Chaste  Tree,  177 
Pitts  Coignctia,  see  Crimson  Glory, 

Labrusca,  see  Grape,  River-bank 
vulpina,  see  Grape,  Fox,  334 


Wake  Robin,  Wood  Lily  (Trillium), 

83.  85>   86»   96>    IOS>    "5> 

269,  281,  285 
Purple  (T.  erectum),  96 
White  (T.  grandiforum),  96 


Wallflower    (Cheiranthus    Chtirt), 

65,  230,  245,  254 
Walnut,    Black    (Juglans     niya), 

Wand    Flower    (Sparaxis  trictltr), 

285 

Water,  Arum,  see  Arum 
Clover,  see  Clover 
Cress,  see  Cress 
Garden,  28,  113,  272, 
Garden,   List    of    plants  for, 

127 

Hyacinth,  see  Hyacinth 
Poppy,  see  Poppy 
Shield   (Brasenia   peltata),   130 
Snail,  123 
Water  Lily  (Nymphaa),  113,117, 

118,  119,  121,  123 
List  of    named   varieties,   124, 

125,  126. 

Watsonia  (W.  Ardernet),  285 
W.     iridifolia    Tar.     O'Britni, 

285 

Wayfaring  Tree  (Viburnum    tan- 
tana),  187 
Weigela   (Diervilla    fiorida),   168, 

170, 187, 

List  of  named  varieties  187 
Wild  Carrot,  8 1 

Flowers,  cultivation  of,  87,88, 
Garden,  28,  87 
Potato,  see  Moonflower 
Willow,  71,  141,  142 

Herb       (Epilobium       angusti- 

folium),  96 
Oak,  see  Oak 
Pussy  (S.  discolor),  144,  155, 

173 

Rosemary  (S.  incana),  155 
Weeping      (Salix      Babylonica 

varieties  aurea  and  dolorosa), 

144,  154,  155 
Windflower    (Anemone    nemorosa) 

A.  Pennsylvania,  96 

Snowdrop,  see  Snowdrop,  230 
Window  boxes,  237 
Wintergreen    (Gauhheria    procum- 
bent), 96 


Wishbone    Flower  (Torenia  Four- 

nieri),  254 
Wistaria,  74,  327,  328,  329 

American    (W.    speciosa),    336 
Chinese  (W .  Chinensis),  336 
Japanese  (W.  multijuga),  336 
Witch    Hazel    (Hamamelis      Vir- 
gin tana),  170, 187 
H.  Japonica,  187 
Woodbine,  see  Honeysuckle,  also 

Virginia  Creeper 
Wcundwort,  Wolly  (Stachys  lanata) 


Xanthorrhixa  apiifolia,  see  Yellow 
Root 

Xtranthemum  annuum,  see  Ever- 
lasting 


Yam,  see  Cinnamon  Tine 
Yarrow,  81 

Achillea  Millefolium,   96,    no 

Tar.  roseum,  96 
Yellow  Root  (Xanthorrhixa  Apii- 

folia),  187 
Wood  (Cladrastis  tinctoria,  Pir- 

gilia  lutea),  155 
Yew  (Taxus),  17,  38, 138, 188 
Canadian       (T.     Canadensis), 

162 

English  (T.  baccata)  138,  162 
Irish,  138 
Japanese  (T.   cuspidata),   138, 

162 
Japanese  Dwarf  (T.    cuspidata 

var.  brevi folia)  162 
Korean   (Cephalotaxus     pedun- 

culata,  var.  fastigiata),  138 
Yucca  flamentosa,  272,  see  Spanish 
Bayonet 


Zta  Mays,  see  Corn 

Zebra  Grass  (Miscanthus  Sintnsis, 

Tar.  Zebrinus),  287 
Zinnia  (Zinnia  elegans),  240,  042, 


THE  KNICKERBOCKER  PRESS 
NEW  YORK 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 
LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


14May'59WW 

REC'D  LD 

APR  30  1959 

YL  /5380 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


